62 Cutlers Revenge
by ARtheBard
Summary: The team is alerted to a seasonal killer in the St Paul, MN area. When a connection is found to some murders in Canada, Emily has to fly across the border to investigate so they can figure out what is motivating this unsub. But Emily may not be the only one left cold before the case concludes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Howdy! Sorry it's been so long. Work, vacation, a wedding and other stuff have just kicked my butt this last month. What was that you asked? What wedding? Well, after 12 years together, 9 of which we considered ourselves married, my wife and I actually went to New York and did it officially and legally and thanks to the overturn of DOMA we are able to get full Federal benefits. About dang time!**

**So now, without further ado, here is another creepy case fic sending this team to two countries to try to track and catch a serial killer. Enjoy!**

**-AR**

* * *

On Sunday the Prentiss family had gotten up to go to church together. Yes, their kids were a wonderful reminder of the good in the world but it doesn't hurt to have faith, too. As Emily chats with Mrs. Nettles after the service, JJ is with Henry and Rocky in the playroom chatting with other parents.

"I did some Googling and have to ask," Mrs. Nettles whispers to Emily. "Was your team the group in Miami or the one in Portland?"

Emily grins. "Miami."

Mrs. Nettles shivers. "Oh, those men are so…so horrible. I am so sorry you girls had to deal with someone so depraved. Two someones, actually! Did one of them give you that bruise on your forehead?"

Emily lifts a hand, having forgotten about it. "Uh, no, actually. Had a disagreement with a cop who was having some personal issues."

"Oh, what a shame. For him, I mean. I am sure you put him in his place."

Emily chuckles. "Not really. Jen took care of him." Mrs. Nettles giggles. "But he is getting help now so I am happy for him. We've all needed a hand and I hope he takes the one offered to him."

"You are so sweet," Mrs. Nettles says, squeezing Emily's arm.

"So, are you going to see your daughter at Christmas this year?"

Sadness flickers in the older woman's eyes. "No, I'm afraid not. My grandkids are doing things with their significant others so she and my son-in-law are going on a cruise. They asked me to join them but, well, ships go out into the ocean and I have no desire to swim with the sharks if it goes down."

Emily bursts out laughing. "You and Jennifer are two peas from the same pod, Mrs. Nettles. What about your sons?"

The older lady shrugs. "Just too far away. I'm not much for flying and driving this time of year is too risky."

Emily takes the woman's hand. "You know, it would be an honor to have you spend Christmas with us. I mean, unless you get a better offer. So if some rich, handsome widower decides to sweep you away for a romantic getaway in the Bahamas or something, go for it." Mrs. Nettles giggles again, blushing. "But if not, we'd love to have you spend it with us."

"Oh, Emily, you all have so many people over for Christmas. You don't need one more."

"Actually we're a few short this year. Henry will spend it in New Orleans with his father and stepmother. My parents are never sure if they can make it or not until the last minute. Please, consider joining us. We'd love to have you. You can even come home with us after Christmas Eve service and be there to experience Rocky getting her gifts from Santa."

Mrs. Nettles smiles, tears in her eyes. "It's been many years since I could experience a child's wonder and excitement on Christmas morning. If you're sure, Emily, I will happily accept."

Emily smiles and nods. "I am more than sure."

Mrs. Nettles pulls Emily into a hug. "You are a wonderful woman, Emily Prentiss. Thank you for loving a little old lady enough to share your family with her."

"Truly my pleasure, Mrs. Nettles. Now, I need to go fetch Jen and the kids. We have lots of laundry to do and pretty soon Jen will be wanting to watch her Redskins play as she eats, ugh, peanut butter covered dill pickles," Emily finishes with an amused sneer.

Mrs. Nettles chuckles. "Oh, my. That is…well…quite a combo."

"To put it nicely," Emily agrees.

"Well, I am going to head home. I'm meeting some ladies later for bingo. Let me know what I can bring for Christmas dinner."

"Anything you want, Mrs. Nettles. Everyone brings something they love so it's usually a fun, interesting, and always delicious spread."

"Good to hear. I'll let you know." She gives Emily a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Have a wonderful week and be safe."

"Thank you, Mrs. Nettles. See you next Sunday, work permitting."

* * *

JJ smiles at her wife. "I think it's a wonderful idea, Em. I am glad she won't have to spend Christmas alone."

Emily grins. "Glad you feel that way. I know I should have asked you first since it's a family holiday but she has always been so supportive of us- -"

"No need to explain, honey. I support it 100%."

"Good. She seems so happy," Emily admits. "I'm glad she said yes."

"I guess we need to talk to Will tonight and finalize travel plans for Little Man. Mom can take him down and Will said he will bring him home. We just need to decide what days that will happen."

Henry perks up. "I go see Daddy?"

JJ nods and turns to him. "Yep. You will go see Daddy and Helen for Christmas."

He gives the idea two thumbs up. "Cool!"

JJ grins. "Yes, very cool indeed."

"You come, too?"

JJ's grin fades. "Uh, well, no. We'll still be here."

Henry frowns as he looks at his sister, then back to his mommy. "Rock?"

"Uh, she'll be here, too."

He thinks a second and his eyes well with tears. "But…want Rock go with!"

Emily and JJ exchange a glance. To stave off a tantrum, JJ capitulates. "Well, we can talk more about it later, okay?"

Henry frowns. "Okay, Mommy. But want Rock go with."

JJ just nods, knowing they will have to come up with a good way to explain to Henry that his little sister will not be going with him to New Orleans for Christmas. A blended family is very full of ups and downs.

* * *

Emily and Henry are playing with his learning tablet while Rocky naps and JJ watches her Redskins. Since the team is playing badly Emily is glad she has the kids in the playroom. JJ is not exactly being nice in her scolding of the team that day. Emily decides to blame the hormones.

"Okay, Henry, let's see if we can find the word that completes the sentence, okay?"

He nods. "Okay, Mama."

"Okay. The first sentence is 'The apple is _.' What word is right, Henry? Red, blue, purple, green?"

Henry studies the picture and pushes the button for the colour "red". Winnie the Pooh claps his hands ands tells Henry "Good job!" Emily hugs him close.

"Great, Henry! Let's go to the next one."

By the time they have finished Henry has gotten 8 out of the 10 sentences correct. Emily kisses his forehead.

"You're doing great, Champ. I am so proud of you."

He smiles and snuggles up against Emily. "Mama? Is Helen my Mama, too?"

Emily stiffens. They had all assumed this question would come up eventually. She just hates that she is alone when it has come up.

"Uh, well, uh, yes, she is. You see, your Daddy and Mommy are your birth parents. Their love created you. But now your Mommy loves me and your Daddy loves Helen. That makes Helen and I your stepmothers."

"What that mean?"

"It means we love you so much we're just like your birth parents. We love having you in our lives and hope you love us, too."

"So you not my Mama?" he asks in confusion.

She lifts him up and turns him so she can stare into his eyes. "Henry Alan LaMontagne, I am most definitely your mama. Nothing can change that. I promise you."

He throws his arms around her neck. "I love you, Mama."

She hugs him close. "I love you, too, Henry. Very, very much."

"Love Mama! Love Ree!" Rocky chimes in.

Emily looks over and rolls her eyes. "Why in the world are you naked again, little one?"

Rocky just grins proudly. Henry shakes his head.

"Her just don't get it, Mama."

Emily laughs at the frank assessment. "You said it, Champ. How about you go check on

Mommy while I get Rocky dressed again."

"Okay, Mama. I tell her I did good?"

"Yes, you can tell her you did great on your learning game."

He smiles and gives it two thumbs up. "Cool!"

As he races off, Emily turns to her daughter. "Now you, little one, need to stop stripping down to your bare bottoms."

Rocky shrugs. "Hot, Mama."

Emily rolls her eyes. "You are not that hot, little monster. Come on, let's get you a fresh diaper and your clothes back on. Then maybe we can make a treat for Mommy and Henry. Sound good?"

Rocky nods. "Si, Mama. Good."

Emily smiles and pulls her close. She loves to hear her kids speak Italian, even if it is only a few words. And despite what blood might say, Henry IS her child. And he always will be.

* * *

That evening Emily finishes setting some bills up to pay and walks out of the office. From her vantage point she can see JJ standing sideways at the sink, her hand running over her baby bump as she stares into the mirror. Emily smiles, seeing the serene look on the beauty's face. She walks in and wraps her arms around JJ from behind.

"My empire for your thoughts."

JJ chuckles. "Good one. Pen can't top that." Emily just winks into the mirror. JJ sighs happily. "At 17 weeks they are moving their little joints, which my bladder is not happy about. Their hearing is developing. Their skeletons are getting harder. God, Em, there is just so much going on in there. It's…it's just so amazing again. I mean, it was incredible when it happened the first time. And then it was so…so just…wow to watch it happening to you. And now it is just as wondrous again because…because there are two in there, Em. Two!"

Emily hugs her and kisses her cheek, a hand stroking over the babies. "Yes, there are. And you're right, it is just as incredible this time around. Thank you so much for carrying our children, Jennifer. God, 'thank you' just doesn't seem like enough."

JJ reaches back and strokes her wife's cheek. "It's more than enough, baby. But if you're still worried you can buy me something pretty."

Emily chuckles. "Deal, Mommy Prentiss."

The two stand a few more minutes, just rubbing the baby bump and imagining what their children might look like when they are born.

"So, any chance one is a brother?" Emily finally asks.

JJ shrugs. "I sure hope so. Otherwise Henry will demand a refund from Dr. Manton."

Emily laughs. "True." She sighs. "Or he could question God."

"Maybe. We'll just…cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we need to think about first names for a boy and girl, a second name set for each sex, and we need to start thinking about the process for finding an assistant nanny for Francesca."

Emily pretends to pout. "Geez…why's it gotta be so much work."

JJ laughs and rolls her eyes. "You are so twisted sometimes."

"Ah, but you love me anyway."

"Yes, I do." She turns in her wife's arms. "How about we head to bed and I show you how much I love you?"

Emily gives her wife a kiss. "Perfect idea. Let me brush my teeth and I'll be right in."

They share another kiss and soon so much more as they celebrate their love.


	2. Chapter 2

When the Prentiss women arrive at work on Monday morning, Emily starts towards the office she had been using. JJ gives her an amused look.

"Hey, Profiler, you forget where you sit?" she teases.

Emily frowns at first then smiles. "Hey! I'm back in the bullpen!"

JJ nods. "Yes, you are. Morgan and Reid moved everything after you left for Miami."

Emily turns and follows her wife down into the cubicle area. "I'm glad. I missed being down by you and Reid. It will be nice to get immediate feedback on cases and not wait for team meetings or lunch or commutes."

JJ nods. "I believe that."

Emily sets her purse on the desk and smiles. She moves a few things around until it is just the way she wants everything and sits down. She nods. "Yep, it's good to be home, so to speak."

JJ grins. "Good to hear."

Emily just winks at her wife as she grabs her first case file of the day and gets work. When Reid walks in a little while later, he smiles at Emily.

"Good to have you back across from me, Emily."

She smiles at him. "Thanks, Reid. And thanks for helping Morgan move my stuff back here."

"No problem. Hotch sort of got in between one of our prank wars. I'm glad all he had us do was move your stuff."

Emily nods. "Good point."

He grins and starts to work on a case.

* * *

After a week in the office dealing with paperwork, phone consults, phone depositions, and other tedious work the team is eager for one more case before Christmas.

"Think we can pay Garcia to send us out this week?" Emily asks JJ as they walk through the office the following Monday morning.

"We might have to. If I am handed one more end of year piece of crap survey request I am going to lose my mind. And I might beat the person that hands it to me."

"That will do wonders for your career."

JJ grins. "I'm in my 18th week of pregnancy. I'll be forgiven."

Emily just nods and follows her into the conference room. Soon everyone is in the round table room for their Monday meeting except Rossi and Garcia. Morgan grins.

"Think those two kids are doing something naughty?"

JJ laughs. "Considering what she told me yesterday about date night with Stephanie, I'd think not."

Hotch grins. "Well, they can catch up when they- -"

He stops speaking as the missing members of the team walk in. Rossi sets an accordion file on the table. "He's back."

Reid frowns. "Who's back?"

"The past three years when winter sets in a killer in Minnesota starts dumping dismembered bodies on two frozen lakes popular with ice fishers, skaters and along cross country ski routes. As soon as the thaw starts, he goes away until the next winter." He pats the accordion file. "Every year I beg the detectives to let us go up there to help not just send a profile. Garcia just told me another murder with this signature hit her database. Hotch, we have to go up there or this guy is going to keep killing."

Hotch sits back and studies his mentor a moment. Finally he nods. "Lay it all out for us from the beginning. If you convince us, I'll make some calls."

Rossi nods and starts to pull out files. "Three years ago Detective Bernie Smith was called to the scene of a lake outside of St. Paul. Kids playing ice hockey had found a plastic bag containing the legs and hands of a person on the ice along the edge of Pigs Eye Lake. Then in White Bear City Detective Seth Ties was responding to the local lake where people out for a morning walk with their dog discovered a bag containing the legs and hands of another person."

"Whoa, wait a second," Reid interrupts. "They didn't find the rest of the first victim?"

"No. That year 10 sets of hands and legs were found. The following year, the feet and arms showed up. Then last year the torso's and heads. This year," he pats the only folder that hadn't been in the large file, "we have legs and hands again."

"So…he took three years to dump the first 10 bodies? And now he's starting again?" Emily confirms.

"It looks like it," Rossi says.

Morgan frowns. "Why is he keeping the bodies?"

Rossi glares at him; frustration peppers his voice as he responds. "Well, if we catch him make sure you ask that question, Derek." He turns to Hotch. "One death so far, Hotch. If he sticks to pattern 9 more people will die and slowly be returned to their families over the next 3 years."

Hotch is sitting back in his chair. Everyone can see Rossi is passionate about this case. He looks at Garcia.

"Any similar cases anywhere in the country?"

She shakes her head. "No, sir."

"What about Canada?" Emily suggests. "He's right near the border."

Garcia shrugs. "I can check."

"The three year cycle would still be strange if he's just hunting in Minnesota and Canada. Why keep the bodies like that? And where does he keep them?" Morgan puts out there. He looks at Hotch. "Rossi is right: we need to try to find this guy."

Hotch nods. "Agreed. Garcia, go see if you can find anything in the Canadian databases. If you find anything, get it to Prentiss to contact the appropriate authorities." He looks at Emily. "Diplomacy will be the key to getting them to help if there are like crimes up there."

Emily nods. "Got it, sir."

Hotch looks at Rossi. "Let's take everything you have to my office and go over it bit by bit. Reid, come with us and work up a geo profile without Rossi's input. We need to get unbiased eyes on it."

Reid nods. "Okay."

"The rest of you, work your case files for now. If we get the invite we'll leave as soon as weather permits."

The team stands and heads out just 5 minutes into a normally 1 hour meeting. Morgan glances at Emily. "Best Monday meeting ever," he jokes.

Emily chuckles. "Damn right."

"I heard that," Hotch mutters as he walks past with Rossi.

Morgan and Emily don't look sorry at all.


	3. Chapter 3

JJ, Emily and Reid are all working on the various cases on their desks as the clock ticks towards noon. Reid's geographic profile had given Rossi and Hotch another bargaining chip to use in an effort to get called in by the Minnesota police. All they could hope for now is that Garcia finds a series of like crimes to prove this killer was at work year round every year not just every 3 winters in Minnesota.

As she reads over a case, Emily frowns at something she sees. She looks up at the agent whose desk abuts hers.

"Reid, Chloroseptic."

Reid looks up, his frown mirroring Emily's. "Counter measure."

"Prior acts."

"Incarceration."

"Serial."

"Spree."

"Definite discombobulation."

"Mental illness."

"Chronic fatigue."

Emily perks up. "YES! Thanks, Reid."

He nods and gets back to work.

Across the way, JJ had watched the exchange. She starts to giggle. "God, I have missed that so much, my nerdlings!"

Emily and Reid just look confused as the amused blonde goes back to the case in front of her.

* * *

Rossi is pacing as Hotch is speaking to the chief of police in St. Paul. "Sir, I understand you hesitate to have someone come in and try to take over the case. I assure you we will simply be there to help. By now you have to agree you have a serial killer with his own m.o. and his own schedule. Let us try to help you, the other city, and the families bring this man to justice. Worst case scenario is we find nothing, can't help at all, and you've lost nothing. Even the FBI is paying for the failure. Best case scenario, we help you home in on an unsub and you can make an arrest to put people's minds at ease."

He listens for several minutes as the chief lays out his concerns his men will get lazy in the future and just assume the Feds will come in and do their work for them. Hotch pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I assure you, Chief, no force has experienced that issue once we are gone. Honestly, a lot of officers learn new ways to approach these sorts of cases when they come across them again. We're a tool to help, not a poacher looking for glory." He listens a few more minutes then nods. "I understand. I look forward to your call."

Hotch hangs up and blows out a breath. Rossi shakes his head in irritation. "He doesn't want us to come up there."

"He didn't say no," Hotch replies. "He wants to talk to the local detectives involved since we are working with 2 lakes and 2 detectives so far. He wants to make sure they won't feel like we're stepping on toes."

"And in the meantime this fuck could be out hunting again," Rossi states with disgust.

"Yes, Dave, he probably is. All we can do right now is wait for the chief to call back and hope he sees reason to invite us in."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then Garcia will keep Minnesota and the surrounding states flagged for like crimes. It's all we can do, Dave. I'm sorry," Hotch finishes.

Rossi mutters a couple of Italian curses under his breath and storms out of the room. He goes into his office, slamming the door behind himself.

The agents down in the bullpen exchange uneasy looks. Looks like unless Garcia can find something that gets them an invite they would not be heading to Minnesota.

* * *

Garcia spends most of the morning on the phone with an analyst in Canada she had worked with when the team investigated missing persons in Detroit who ended up being killed on a hog farm across the border and again when they were closing in on Doyle's hideaway when he had Emily.

"Okay, so we've covered all the major provinces. Time to look at the smaller ones," Garcia says. "Thanks so much for helping me with this, Dez."

"No problem, Pen. If some sick fuck is at work up here we'll want them found, too. If he is moving country to country it is best we work together so all the families get a chance at closure."

"True. Okay, so where should we go next?"

"Let's start with the Yukon Territory."

"Oh, Princess will so kill me if I have to send her there."

Dez chuckles. "I don't blame her. The Yukon in winter is not a fun thought."

Garcia raises an eyebrow. "Of course, Yukon winters probably make Minnesota winters not seem so bad. Not good for Princess but the others will be happy."

Soon the analysts have cleared all the open and closed crimes in the Yukon as not being connected in any obvious way to the dismemberments. Next they try the newest province of Nunavut.

"Interesting thing about Nunavut," Dez says as he types, "is it includes the magnetic North Pole. And it…oh…"

Garcia sighs as her computer shows her what Dez is seeing. "Yep, I see them, too."

Garcia shakes her head. "The population of Baffin Island is what, like 9,000?"

"Around 11,000 actually," Dez replies. "Still, there are so many who go up that way to get back to nature or get away from the civilized world their deaths may not be noticed."

The analysts are culling dismemberments over the last 4 summers. Much like in the U.S. the first year there were legs and hands, followed by feet and arms, then finally torsos and heads before the process repeated again starting this past summer.

"And it doesn't look like anyone has a clue who is doing it," Garcia mutters.

"Nope. Plenty of places to not only hide the parts but to do the killings, too. Add in predators mangling the remains and it's surprising enough of them were found to even realize it was murder," Dez points out as he keeps typing. "Looks like the bodies identified were all men, a few were runaways thought to be in the bigger cities until they were found. Two are still unidentified. The rest are all men who were off to 'find themselves' and were never seen alive again."

"Guess they found themselves dead," Garcia mutters as she starts to download the information Dez is sending to her.

"Well, I'll talk to my boss and show him what's going on. He can contact the police up in Nunavut and let them know you all have most likely the same killer working in the States. Who should they call?"

"Uh, for now have them call Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner," Garcia says and emails him Hotch's contact info. "Most likely SSA Emily Prentiss will be the one heading up there to compare notes unless her wife terrifies Hotch enough that he changes his mind."

Dez starts to laugh. "Okay. Think you can send me your preliminaries for Minnesota so I can show the correlation?"

"Already on their way to you, sweet cheeks."

"Excellent. I'll talk to you later, Pen."

"See you, Dez. Tell that hunk of burning love Freddie I send him kisses from afar."

Dez chuckles, thinking about his husband. "I'll tell him. But you better share some kisses with me."

"Oh, always, sugar!" she promises. "Tootles!"

"See ya, Pen."

Garcia hangs up and finishes downloading the info to a shared file. She then hustles down to Hotch's office to let him know about the Canadian killings. She smiles at him as she walks into his office.

"You love me, right?"

Hotch raises an eyebrow. "As long as this confession doesn't end up with me in HR, yes, Garcia, I do."

"Good. Then you'll protect me from Emily when you see where the Canadian murders are occurring."

Hotch sits up. "So there were killings there, too?"

"Yes, sir. On Baffin Island in Nunavut. You know, right near the magnetic North Pole."

"Oh, shit," he mutters, realizing it will be below freezing up there daily.

"Yep. They occur in the Canadian summer. Then our killer travels south to Minnesota for slightly milder winters."

"Damn. Okay, give me time to read everything over. And, uh, don't break it to Prentiss just yet. I'd rather do it when I have my Kevlar on."

Garcia chuckles. "Deal, sir. And you might want to watch out for JJ, too."

Hotch rolls his eyes. "No kidding. Good work, Garcia."

"Thanks, sir."

Garcia heads back to her lair, thankfully able to avoid JJ and Emily, who had already left for lunch.

* * *

When Emily and JJ get back from lunch, Hotch calls for Emily to come see him. She walks in with a pad of paper and immediately sees how tense he is. She sighs and sits down.

"I'm going to hate this, aren't I?"

"Most likely. We've contacted the police in Iqaluit and they have agreed to meet with you to compare notes with the Minnesota case and show you where the body parts were found. It is quite spread out so you will probably be traveling by small plane like in Alaska."

Emily groans, gets pale, and grabs her stomach as it rolls. "Oh, fuck."

"Yeah, I figured you would say that."

"Um, so, uh, dare I ask where exactly is Iqaluit and how do I get there?"

"It's on Baffin Island in…Nunavut."

Emily's eyes widen. "Nunavut? As in magnetic north pole Nunavut?"

"One and the same," he confirms.

"Oh. Shit," she says, getting paler. "I'm going to hate how I get there, aren't I?"

"Commercial flight to Montreal. Regional airline into Iqaluit."

"How, um, regional?"

Hotch hands her a print out showing the old-fashioned looking dual prop plane she'll fly in on. He would have not thought it possible but she does, indeed, get even paler.

"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick."

Hotch raises his eyebrow, believing her. She takes a few deep breaths. He reaches into the cabinet behind him and grabs a bottle of water out of the small fridge he keeps there. He quickly opens it.

"Here," he says handing it to her.

Emily grabs it and takes a slow drink. When she finishes she takes a couple of deep breaths.

"So, is that the worst of the bad news?" she asks him.

"Mostly. Truth is Baffin Island is huge with places that still haven't been explored by humans. Add in predators such as polar bears and wolves and there could be bodies we don't know about."

"That's a given," Emily agrees. "Maybe this guy was killing up there a while. He may be older and have to go south to slightly warmer climates for his health now."

"That's what I am thinking. Or he's a seasonal worker and comes south for a job. All we know is he's been doing this a while and has a compulsion to keep the body parts for a long time before dumping them."

"That is just too weird."

"To put it mildly." Hotch lifts up one more piece of paper. "To help you with packing, Garcia printed this out for you. It's the 5 day forecast."

Emily takes it and reads the numbers, her eyes bugging out. "Please, oh, PLEASE tell me that's in Celsius."

"I'm afraid not."

Emily looks at the report. The next three days the high was expected to be -1, the low -14. The two days after would be an even 0 high with a -14 low. Emily slowly shakes her head.

"Fahrenheit? You're sure it's Fahrenheit?"

"Yes," Hotch confirms.

Emily slowly looks up. "Bossman, you soooo fucking owe me for this. I hate politics in good weather."

Hotch chuckles. "Trust me I know I owe you for doing this, Emily. Does it help to know you're making the world safer for your kids?"

"Hell no! I'll never take my kids someplace so freakin' cold!"

Hotch laughs. "Right. Good point. So do you have warm enough clothes for this or do you need to go make some purchases?"

"Honestly, I need to make some purchases. Long johns being number one on my list."

Hotch nods. "Understood. Go ahead and go. Garcia can take JJ home. We have the official invite to go to Minnesota so we're heading there tomorrow. We're going to meet to start going over information the detectives in charge are sending us. We plan to hit the ground running tomorrow with visits to the dump sites. If we discover anything that can be useful to you I'll let you know."

Emily nods. "Okay. I do have one last question."

"Shoot," he tells her.

"Why the hell can't this bastard be summering in Hawaii and wintering in the Bahamas? I mean, really, would it be so bad to send us someplace nice and warm?"

Hotch starts to chuckle. "Florida was warm."

"Florida had snakes," Emily points out as she stands. "Giant snakes. Now I get cold and polar bears." She sighs. "Maybe it's time to start living off the trust funds."

Hotch laughs as Emily walks to the door. She pauses a moment and glances back over her shoulder.

"Hotch? Sending me to Ice Station Zebra…is this revenge for me investigating alone in Miami?"

Hotch gives her a sly grin. "Oh, Prentiss, do you really think I'm the type to go for revenge?"

Emily grunts. "My job means too much for me to answer that honestly, sir."

Hotch chuckles as Emily shakes her head and walks out. As she gets to her desk, JJ glances up at her.

"So, what's the call?"

"You all are going to Minnesota tomorrow. I am going to the part of Hell that is actually frozen over."

JJ raises an eyebrow. "Where exactly?"

Emily tells her about the Baffin Island connection. And the temperatures. JJ winces.

"Ugh. Better you than me."

Emily stiffens and raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

JJ grins. "Oops. Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, you did."

JJ rubs her stomach. "It would be bad for the nesters, baby. That's all I meant. Really."

"Right, Agent Jareau. I'll remember you were glad I was sent up there when I'm freezing and running from the wolves or polar bears." Emily packs up her stuff. "I have to go buy some clothes for extreme weather conditions. I'll see you at the house."

JJ nods. "Okay. And, Em? I really wish none of us had to go."

"Me, too."

"Just promise me one thing?"

"Not to bring home a baby polar bear?" Emily jokes.

JJ chuckles. "That, too. But also promise me you won't go for a swim like you did in Alaska."

Emily rolls her eyes. "You are so not funny, woman. I'll see you at the house."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you, too. Most of the time," Emily adds with a wink.

JJ just chuckles as her wife heads out the door.

* * *

At 3 the team meets in the conference room that Hotch and Rossi had set up with the information from Minnesota and Canada.

"So any major differences in m.o.?" Morgan asks as he walks in.

"One," Rossi notes. "In Canada he salts the body parts to preserve them. In the States he just freezes them."

JJ frowns. "Why the change?"

Reid considers this. "In that area of Canada a lot of the native people use salt as a preservative. It would not seem unusual for the unsub to be buying lots of salt. In the U.S. purchasing enough salt to preserve so many body parts would throw up a red flag to someone somewhere."

"Ah, good point. And the fact that if salted body parts had been found that same someone may have called the cops," JJ concludes. "Of course that means the unsub has a place he can store the body parts year after year without fear of them being found. Is Garcia running land and tax records for both areas?"

Hotch nods. "Yes. An analyst in Canada she's worked with before is helping her to keep things official even though we know she could get the information with no problem."

"What about Minnesota?" JJ asks.

"St Paul isn't fully on board with us. But the detective in White Bear Lake is," Rossi answers. "If nothing else we can work with him as he figures he's got a few more body part dumps coming whether he likes it or not."

Reid is still frowning. "Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. Why just use those 2 lakes?"

The team contemplates that for a minute. Finally JJ shrugs.

"White Bear Lake could be a way of honoring or remembering polar bears if we assume he is from Baffin Island."

Hotch nods. "Good point. What about Pigs Eye Lake?"

"Do they have a hog problem up there like we do down south?" Rossi asks.

"Sounds like a job for our baby girl," Morgan says pulling out his phone.

"Talk dirty to me, stud," Garcia answers.

Everyone chuckles as Morgan blushes.

"You're on speaker with the whole team, Baby Girl."

There is a slight pause. "Oh. Then save the dirty talk for when we're alone."

Morgan chuckles. "Right. Out of curiosity, is there anything or anyplace on Baffin Island that might in some how relate to Pigs Eye Lake in Minnesota?"

Garcia starts to type. "Let's see…nope nothing that I can see."

Morgan looks at the others. "Could it be something as crazy as he probably doesn't get a lot of ham or pork of any sort up there? He's maybe using that lake just because he likes pig meat?"

The others shrug. It's as good a guess as any. Finally Hotch shakes his head.

"Okay, forget the symbolism for now. He looks for lakes with ice around the edges. Could be it was just the first one he found and so he continues to use it. Forget symbolism. Let's look at facts."

And with that, the team gets to work looking over the information gathered by several detectives in two countries. Just before 5 the last case file is put down. They all look around.

"There are more bodies in Canada. Some probably attributed to animal attacks. Some may have also been completely consumed by animals," Reid says, breaking the silence.

Hotch nods. "Most likely." He looks at JJ. "Send a message to Emily that she'll need to look into reports of animal maulings."

JJ nods. "Note on its way," she replies, typing it out. "She'll probably have to check out reports of other missing persons that were filed during the summer up there."

Rossi nods. "There will be a stack waiting for her."

JJ grins. "She'll be thrilled."

Morgan runs his hands over his heads. "So, if this guy has been killing a while, we're looking at someone older. Maybe into his 50's if we speculate that he goes south for milder winters."

"Or someone with an old injury that needs some relief," Reid says. "I know there are times my leg gets to aching if it's cold and rainy. Temperatures at or below 0 would probably cripple me," he admits.

JJ frowns. "Shit. I…I hadn't thought of that." She looks at Hotch. "Her arm and her head, Hotch. The cold could knock her off her feet."

Hotch takes a deep breath. He hadn't considered how the cold would affect Emily's recent arm wound and the head wound that could still give her a headache or migraine in certain circumstances.

"Damn it," he mutters. "You all keep working the profile. I need to call her."

"Thanks, Hotch," JJ says as he heads out of the room. She then looks at the others. "So…in his 50's. Professional hunter or lifelong hunter. He is comfortable with killing and cutting up his prey."

"Definitely a loner. There is no way he could be friends or associates with anyone," Rossi adds. "He would end up wanting to cut them up."

"But there is a degree of remorse here," Reid points out. "He puts the parts where they will be found. He has all of Baffin Island and the wilds of Minnesota to dispose of the parts but he doesn't."

"Could be bragging," JJ counters. "He wants people to see the power he has over his victims and wants to see the families begging for the rest of their loved one to be returned."

"But why keep them at all? Why dump them in such a specific pattern? Why take 3 years between kills?" Morgan puts on the table.

"Are we sure he does?" JJ asks. "What if there are other bodies he makes sure aren't found? Or bodies that…that he keeps for…for some reason. Like trophies or something."

Rossi rubs his hands on his face. "Right now the only thing I know is I have to set this aside for a while. I've been at it too long; years now." He stands. "I'll see you all on the plane tomorrow."

The others nod as Rossi walks out. JJ stands next. "I'll think about it tonight but for now I need to go see Hotch. And if Emily's still going I need to…to just…I need…"

Morgan nods. "We know. Go on."

JJ gives him a smile then leaves to go see Hotch and find out what Emily has decided.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you everyone for you kind words and congratulations. We appreciate them.**

**And to the Guest who had a friend shot, I am so sorry for what you are going through. I am humbled that my stories can help you a little during this time. You are in my thoughts and prayers.**

**-AR**

* * *

Emily starts to pack her new extreme weather gear under the watchful eye of her son. He frowns as he plays with her thick gloves.

"Big, Mama."

Emily smiles at him. "Yes, they are. Hopefully they will be warm, too. Otherwise I'll be a frozen Mama popsicle!" she says with a chuckle.

He grins. "No! Mama no be a popsicle."

"Not even a grape one?" He shakes his head. "Well, okay, then let's hope everything I bought will keep me nice and warm."

Henry nods. "Si, Mama. Warm."

She takes her gloves from him and tucks them into the duffel bag that will go with her to Iqaluit. Her main suitcase will be left at a hotel in Montreal. She will have to stay overnight in Montreal on Tuesday and continue to Nunavut on Wednesday. Arrangements had been made to leave her suitcase there and just take a few things north. After she zips the bag she sits down on the bench and pulls Henry into her lap.

"Want to know something pretty cool about where I'll be?" Henry nods eagerly. "It's where the magnetic north pole is. That is where- -"

"SANTA LIVES!" Henry says excitedly.

Emily studies his eyes a moment and sees the joy and wonder alive in them. So much for a quick nerdling lesson in the poles. She smiles and kisses his cheek.

"That's right. Santa lives at the North Pole. Now, I figure he and I will be pretty busy but if I bump into him should I tell him you and Rocky are being good?"

Henry nods. "Si! Henry and Rocky very good, Mama! Promise!"

She hugs him close. "Good boy. I will put in a good word for you then."

"Okay. And you and Mommy been good, too. Should get pre'ents, too."

Emily grins. "I'll make sure he knows."

Henry frowns a minute, thinking. Emily waits until he finally looks at her.

"Will Santa find me?"

"Santa knows a lot of things, Henry. I promise he will find you at your Daddy's house." Henry frowns, still not convinced. She strokes a hand through his hair. "Tell you what? I promise to track him down while I am up there and tell him myself."

Henry's eyebrows rise in excitement. "Really? You promise?"

"I most certainly do, Champ. I will make sure Santa knows just where to find you."

Henry gives her a big hug. "Love you, Mama."

"I love you, too, Champ. Very, very much."

"Any chance you love, Mommy, too?" JJ asks from the doorway, where she had watched the entire conversation.

Henry hops out of Emily's arms and runs to JJ. "Hi, Mommy! I love you, too."

JJ lifts him up. "Good. Because I love you so much." She peppers his face with kisses.

He giggles and squirms. "Mommy silly!"

"Oh I am, am I? Well guess what?"

"What?"

"I might be silly but _you_ are ticklish!"

Henry squeals as JJ sets him down and starts to tickle him. After a second he stiffens.

"Uh oh!"

JJ lets him go and he runs for the bathroom down the hall. He stops just before he gets there, his shoulders slumping. JJ winces.

"Oh, Henry. I am so sorry," she says.

He slowly turns and shrugs. "Acc'dent, Mommy. Mama say happens."

JJ walks up to him. "Yes, honey, it does. And when I tickled you it happened because that can even happen to adults."

"Like you?"

"Yep, even like me."

"You gots pull-ups?"

JJ chuckles. "Nope. So for me it is even more embarrassing. Come on, I will help you get cleaned up and changed."

As they walk into the bathroom, JJ looks over her shoulder and sees Emily standing in the doorway of the bedroom. The brunette gives her wife an encouraging smile, knowing JJ has come home early to make absolutely sure Emily's health is stable enough for the trip into the frozen north.

* * *

"But, Emily, what if you- -"

Emily takes her wife's hands and stares into her eyes. "Jennifer, I will be fine! The headaches don't come as frequently now. All of us have old injuries that will hate the cold. And I am sure Iqaluit has a doctor or two on the off-chance I do have a bad headache or something."

JJ studies her wife a moment then shakes her head. "I just…I'm having…you push yourself too hard sometimes, Em. Why not let Morgan go? He can- -"

"DAMN IT, JEN! I am NOT going to have this argument with you! Stop coddling me! I will be fine."

Emily turns and storms off towards the bathroom. JJ, furious, follows her. "Don't you DARE walk away from me spouting off how you'll be fine! How many times have you run yourself into the ground on a case? How many times have you been carted off on a stretcher? How many- -"

"I'm going to read PAPERWORK! The worst POSSIBLE injury I can get is a fucking PAPERCUT!" Emily shouts, stopping her wife's rant.

"And you're going out to see some of the sites! Geezus, Emily, have you thought about what could happen out there? Freezing temperatures, wild animals, a fucking KILLER!"

"Who is most likely in Minnesota where YOU will be!" Emily points out.

"Yeah, well…maybe…but…damn you! That doesn't change the dangers you face going up there!"

"Oh, so I should stay in the States and risk Derek dying in my place? Or Reid? Or Rossi? Tell me, Jen, who should risk their life reading reports to make you feel better?"

JJ's eyes narrow. "That's NOT a fair question!"

"The hell it isn't! You're saying I should stay here so who should go there? If it's as dangerous as you seem to think who should go in my place?"

"I don't…I didn't mean…FUCK! You can be so DAMN infuriating at times!"

"And you can be selfish! Why the hell am I suddenly not able to do my job? When did I get so fucking weak in your eyes?"

JJ looks stunned. "I didn't say you were weak, Emily. Far from it! I said you tend to not stop when you should. You don't take care of yourself the way you should. And you have 4 kids who want you around, not to mention a wife who wants you around."

Emily shakes her head. "Don't you dare try to guilt me using the kids. Or you! That's not fair, Jen. Don't you remember what destroyed Hotch and Hailey's marriage? The same kind of shit you're pulling on me right now. I am GOING to Nunavut. And I will see you either in St. Paul or Quantico in a few days. Case. Closed!"

Emily turns her back on her wife. JJ studies the brunettes back a moment, still pissed even though she knows Emily is right.

"Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want," JJ mutters as she turns and walks out of the bathroom.

Emily grabs her toothbrush and starts to put some paste on it. Her hands are shaking so much she just throws both things back down on the counter and leans back against the wall. She runs her hands through her hair, trying to figure out what to say to get through to her wife. She had tried talking. Talking had turned to yelling. Cussing had started. And finally ended with anger, cussing and completely not hearing each other.

"Shit," she mumbles.

She pushes off the wall and walks into the bedroom. She is surprised that JJ is not there. She checks both kids' rooms but still no JJ. After clearing the top floor of the house she moves to the middle level. Still no JJ. She raises an eyebrow and goes to the basement. She finds JJ walking swiftly on the treadmill.

"Jennifer…it's late. Just…come to bed."

"No. I'm too mad."

Emily sighs. "Fine. But while you're down here working through your tantrum ask yourself how you would feel if I treated you the way you've just treated me. I'm not a porcelain doll, Jennifer. And I won't be treated like one."

Emily turns and marches back up the stairs. JJ stays on the treadmill a few more minutes, imagining this argument with the roles reversed. Finally she hits the stop button and leans over on the control pad.

"I'd kick her fucking ass," JJ admits to herself. "Jennifer Prentiss it has been a long, long time since you were this wrong and this fucking stubborn about it. Get your head out of your ass and apologize. Don't let her leave with this chasm between you."

JJ takes a deep breath and heads upstairs to eat a large serving of crow. She isn't surprised to hear the TV on in the living room, knowing Emily would have to calm down before even trying to sleep. JJ walks to the doorway and stares at the stony countenance of her wife.

"Hi," she says, and immediately realizes how dumb that sounds.

Emily slowly turns to look at the blonde. She sees the shame haunting the blue eyes. "Hi."

"If you ever talked to me or…or ordered me not to do my job I would so kick your ass. I would feel like crap that you thought so little of me." She walks over and sits on the coffee table in front of her wife. "And then I would expect you to get your head out of your ass, admit you were very, very wrong, and apologize." She reaches and takes Emily's hands in her own. "I am so, so sorry, Emily. Everything you said was right. I was being selfish and childish and completely unfair to you and to the team, even. I shouldn't have used the kids against you and I should trust that you know your limits. You have been so good about not pushing yourself. Well, maybe you pushed a little past the limit while you ran that task force." Emily nods in agreement. "But for the most part you have lived the promise you made to me and our children and our families after your coma. Truth is, I am scared because I won't be there to watch over you and neither will anyone else from the team. I just feel like…like you being alone means something will happen and I'll have no way to help you. I hate it."

"Jennifer, nothing bad will happen to me. Do you know how hard it is for me to go up there and leave you knowing you are going to be where the killer is most likely hunting? But I trust you and I trust the team. That's all I can do."

JJ nods. "I know it's hard for you. I swear I do. But I have the team. You're soloing. It…it fucking terrifies me, Em." She takes a deep breath. "But I know you are the best person on the team to do what needs to be done. You'll understand the medical reports, you'll ask the right questions, you'll see the signs in the land that gives us an idea who this guy is. And you'll do it all without making the RCMP feel like the FBI is trying to say we know the job better than them." She grins. "You're more like your mother than you want to admit."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "You're apology just took a nosedive."

JJ smiles. "Emily, I was wrong. I am so, so sorry. You have my full support for what you are doing on this case."

Emily lets out a long sigh. "Thank you, Jen. I didn't want to leave with this…this shit between us but I thought your stubborn streak was going full steam ahead on it."

JJ grins. "It kind of was. Then you made an effort and I acted like a shit. I did what you said and turned the conversation around. I am so sorry I hurt you, Em, because I know that's what I did. Please say you can forgive me?"

Emily pulls JJ over onto her lap. "I'll forgive you this time, Jen. But if you do this to me again I won't."

JJ nods. "Understandable." She rests her head on Emily's shoulder. "But…if a polar bear eats you can I tell you I told you so?"

Emily bursts out laughing. "You are such a twisted woman, Jennifer Prentiss."

"I know. But I hope you love me anyway."

Emily lifts JJ's chin and stares into her eyes. "I love you more than words can say."

The two share a tender kiss. When it ends, JJ strokes a hand down her wife's cheek.

"So…any chance I can take you upstairs and give you some memories to keep you warm?"

Emily smiles and nods. "I think that sounds like a perfect idea, Mrs. Prentiss."

JJ stands and extends her hand to her wife. Emily turns off the TV and stands. Their fingers entwine as they make their way upstairs for a farewell celebration that lasts for a couple hours.

* * *

Tuesday morning Emily gives Henry a big hug. "So, I promise to speak with Santa while I am up north. And I will call you tonight from the hotel. But after tonight I may have a hard time getting back in touch with you. It will kind of depend on work, okay?"

Henry nods. "Okay. Mommy not going?"

Emily shakes her head. "Nope. I am going all alone up to the cold North Pole."

Henry steps back and stares at his mama a moment. "Be back!" He turns and races for the stairs.

"Hey! Henry, wait!" Emily calls but Henry doesn't stop. Emily looks at her wife who just shrugs. Emily moves to Rocky. "So, will you be a good girl while I'm gone, sweet girl?"

Rocky smiles. "Si, Mama, Rock good!"

Emily smiles broadly. "Wonderful! Wow, Rock, that was pretty much a complete sentence. Good girl!"

Rocky smiles and gives Emily a big kiss on the cheek. Emily hugs her close.

"I love you, Rocky. I will talk to you tonight and see you in a few days, okay?"

"'Kay, Mama. Love Mama."

Emily hugs and kisses her once more then stands up with her, handing her off to JJ. "I think Mommy wants a hug and kiss bye-bye, too, Rocky."

Rocky smiles. "Love Mommy!"

"I love you, too, Rocky," JJ says as she hugs and kisses their daughter.

A second later they hear Henry's measured steps coming down the stairs. Emily walks over to meet him. She frowns in confusion when she sees what he has. He extends his arms to her and she picks him up off the third step.

"Here, Mama, to keep you warm and not lonely," he says, offering her Bear-Bear.

Emily's eyes tear up. "But won't you need Bear-Bear to sleep?"

Henry shrugs. "I love Bear-Bear. But Mama need him. I gots Ska and Tiger."

Emily holds him close. It takes her a second to collect her emotions enough to speak. "Thank you, Henry. This is the best going away present I've ever been given. I promise to bring him back to you safe and sound in a few days."

"He keep you warm?"

Emily leans back and looks in her son's eyes. "He'll keep me so warm I might need to wear shorts in the snow."

Henry giggles, knowing that is silly. He hugs her. "Love you, Mama."

"I love you, too." She turns and sees Jen has put Rocky in the highchair. "Ready to say goodbye, Mommy?"

JJ nods, tears in her eyes at the gesture from their son. "Oh, yeah. Definitely."

Emily hands Henry over and walks over to Francesca. She takes a breath to control her emotions. "I fly to Montreal today. Then tomorrow in a very tight window I fly to Kuujjuag then to Iqaluit. If the weather turns, it could change the flights. I'll let you know if that happens."

"Okay, cara. And coming home?"

Emily sighs. "Same deal in reverse. Truth is, Francesca, if the weather gets really bad I could get stuck there for who knows how long."

Francesca sighs. "I see. And does Jennifer know?"

Emily nods, grinning. "Yes, she does. But the kids don't. I swear I will try to stay in contact with them as much as I can. If the satellite phone has issues I will call collect. Promise me you'll accept the charges," she begs with a wink.

Francesca chuckles. "Of course, cara. Now, you be safe. Watch out for wild teddy bears."

Emily holds up her stuffed companion. "This is the only one I plan to cuddle with. Promise."

"Em, I think your car just arrived," JJ says.

Emily glances over her shoulder. "Okay. Thanks, Jen." She looks back at Francesca. "Give them a hug and kiss for me every night."

"You know I will, cara." She kisses Emily on the cheek. "Ti amo, cara."

'Ti amo, Francesca." Emily gives her a hug and kiss then turns to her wife. "Walk me out?"

"Of course."

Emily kisses both her children once more. JJ takes her wife's hand and walks her to the door. She watches as Emily slides Bear-Bear into her briefcase. The doorbell is rung and JJ opens it to let in the driver. He takes Emily's suitcase and duffel bag to the car. Emily pulls JJ close.

"I will text you when I land. After I get checked into the hotel I'll let you know my room number. Promise me you'll be safe in Minnesota."

"I promise. You promise to be safe at Santa's."

Emily grins. "I promise."

The two share a strong hug and deep kiss. Then, like pulling off a Band-Aid, Emily steps away from her wife, grabs her purse and briefcase, and is out the door. From the curb she waves once more then climbs in the sedan. JJ watches until the taillights turn the corner. She sighs.

Why the hell is she so unsettled about Emily going off on her own?

"Get over it, Prentiss," she mutters to herself. "She'll be fine. Go to work so you can help her and the team find this guy. The sooner you do, the sooner she is in your arms again."

She closes the door and goes to grab her briefcase, trying to follow her own advice. But her feeling of unease doesn't seem like it will abate anytime soon.


	5. Chapter 5

JJ is not surprised that she is the last one to board the jet that morning. "Sorry, guys," she says as she stows her gear.

"Emily get off okay?" Morgan asks.

JJ nods. "Yep. Well, as far as the car coming for her. All the paperwork she has to fill out to carry her sidearm with her has her a bit grumpy but she'll be fine."

"And what about the weather?"

JJ laughs. "Let's just say she may not speak to Hotch for weeks," she replies, with a wink at the unit chief. "But I know she'll be okay because she'll have Bear-Bear watching over her."

"Bear-Bear? Henry's Bear-Bear?" Reid asks.

"Yep. When Emily said it would be cold and lonely up there he got it for her so she would be warm and not so alone."

Reid smiles. "What a great kid."

"My thoughts exactly," JJ agrees. She turns to Hotch. "Now, case-wise, Garcia's friend Dez will have a bunch of information waiting for Emily at the hotel in Montreal. He's found all sorts of potentially linked cases. Some are missing persons' that match the basic type our unsub has targeted. Others are cases where only body parts have been found in Nunavut and in other Canadian provinces in case they are the work of our guy. When she gets to Baffin Island a detective will meet her to show her more of the case files they have and then he will take her on a tour of the sites that they can get to."

Hotch nods. "Excellent. And she has the satellite phone?"

"Yes. It's in the duffel bag that will go north with her."

"Okay." He glances to everyone. "Once we're in the air we can go over reports Garcia finished up for us all last night and make plans on what to do once we land."

The team nods and settles in for the flight to St. Paul.

* * *

Emily relaxes into her comfy first class seat. She shifts a bit so her shoulder holster will stop rubbing her uncomfortably. As soon as the plane levels out she reaches down and lifts up her briefcase. As she opens it, a squished Bear-Bear pops up as if to surprise her. She smiles and lifts him out and sits him on the armrest against the wall of the plane.

"Lucky charm?" the man beside her asks.

Emily grins. "My son was worried I'd be cold and lonely so he gave me his teddy bear to keep me warm."

The man chuckles. "Cute. Sounds like a good kid."

"He's the best. But I may be a bit biased."

"Most parents are," he says with a wink and pulls out a picture painted in a child's hand. "So my hotel room has something pretty my daughter said."

"It's gorgeous," Emily agrees. "And prettier than anything in any museum."

"To a parent at least."

Emily smiles and nods. "Exactly. Well, I think I need to do a little work on the flight."

"Business trip?"

"Yes."

"In Montreal for a while?"

"Just overnight. Then up to Iqaluit."

He raises an eyebrow. "Um, where?"

"Far, far north."

He chuckles. "Ah. Lucky you."

Emily chuckles. "Right. Just what I've been thinking since I drew the short straw."

"Well, I hope it's a fruitful trip at least."

"Me, too," Emily agrees and pulls out a file.

The man takes his cue and slips in his earphones, turns on his MP3 player and his Kindle to relax a bit on the flight. Emily wishes she could, too, but justice calls. Sitting so her friendly seatmate can't read over her shoulder she starts to review a case she had brought from the office, making notes of things she will want to see more of in the full case files when she reaches her destination.

* * *

On the plane, Reid suddenly frowns. "The tool markings changed."

Morgan and JJ look up at him. "What?" the African-American agent asks.

Reid points to a note made by the medical examiner. "The earlier body parts were disarticulated using an axe or other fixed blade. The last parts were done with a rotary saw."

JJ raises an eyebrow. "Could lend support for it being an older unsub."

"True," Morgan agrees. "But you don't suddenly turn 50 and decided, 'Hey, I think I'll start murdering people and chop them up over the course of three years.' This guy had to have been killing longer."

"If we go back to the Canadian connection, his early kills would be up there. Maybe Nunavut, maybe other provinces," Reid points out.

"Dez and Garcia searched them all," JJ points out. "Only Nunavut had similar kills and dump patterns."

"How old is the oldest victim?" Morgan asks.

"He was 27," Reid answers.

"Not his age, age. I mean, how long back was he killed?" Morgan clarifies with a roll of his eyes as JJ just grins.

"Oh. They think he was killed 20 years ago," Reid states, having read and, of course, memorized the briefs that had been sent to Emily.

"So this guy kills for 16 years in Canada then travels south. He comes down during the harsh Canadian winter but instead of going somewhere really nice, say Florida, he stops in Minnesota. Not really too much different temperature-wise," JJ points out. "It has to be something more."

"The tool marks," Reid mutters. "The Mayo Clinic. What if he got sick? Maybe he comes down here for treatment."

"But why? Canada has national healthcare. Down here he'd be paying," Morgan points out.

"Unless he's a U.S. citizen," JJ counters. "He may have to come south to get treatment."

"So can Garcia find someone who moved north but is having to return for treatment?" Reid asks.

JJ grins. "Reid, she could tell us the number of hairs on your chest."

"Ain't hard to count to 1," Morgan teases as Reid just glares at him.

JJ giggles and sends a text to Garcia knowing the analyst won't be in the office for 20 more minutes.

"Okay, Spence's body hair aside, what can we come up with here to help Emily narrow her searches? According the email she got from Dez, he'll have over 100 cases waiting for her, that's in addition to the 50 Garcia gave her yesterday. Plus she'll be looking at some they are pulling for her in Iqaluit, including some that were closed that bear looking into again knowing this killer is out there."

Reid stares upwards, his mind sifting through the reams of information in his mind. Morgan flips through the papers in front of him once more. JJ does the same. Finally she sighs.

"Nothing."

"Sorry, Blondie, nothing jumping out at me either," Morgan confirms. "I have to admit, I was hoping we'd have something that would keep her in Montreal a couple days and maybe avoid Baffin Island completely."

"Me, too," JJ replies. "Spence?"

He finally shrugs and shakes his head. "Nothing yet."

Hotch had been listening to his agents and knew they were looking at the case more to help their friend than to start a profile. He had let them knowing they needed to do so to clear their heads. Now it was time to turn them towards the cases in Minnesota. He nods to Rossi and the two older agents move to the middle of the plane.

"So, we need to hit the ground running before the authorities in St. Paul change their mind about working with us," Hotch starts. "JJ, I need you to go to the police station and start playing peacemaker. Talk to the chief of police and explain the way we work. Have your list testimonials ready to give him." He pauses. "Did you ever take off the sheriff that hates your wife?"

JJ chuckles. "Yes, I did. Swear. And I added a couple who were very hesitant to invite us in and were pleasantly surprised by the results."

"Good. You've always been good at smoothing things over for us. Don't let pregnancy hormones ruin that streak," he teases.

She laughs. "I'll have a peanut butter pickle beforehand to shore myself up."

All the men wince. Like Emily, they just feel that craving is, oh, so wrong. Hotch looks at Morgan and Reid.

"I'd like you two to visit the lakes. What draws the unsub to these two places? Why does he vary where he dumps the parts?" The agents nod and Hotch turns to Rossi. "Rossi, you and I are visiting with the families. Something, somewhere made these individuals cross paths with our unsub. We need to find out what that connection is."

"The unsub had a type," Rossi states and starts to recite that type from memory. "The victims are all 20-something males, strong, virile, dark hair, dark eyes. They were in the prime of their life."

JJ's head snaps up. "Maybe that's it!"

Rossi looks at her. "What's it?"

"Reid pointed out the Mayo Clinic is in Rochester, MN. Maybe he came south to get medical care and he kills these men because they are what he isn't anymore: young and strong," she suggests.

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "That's interesting." He glances at his watch. "No chance Emily has landed yet. I'm going to send her a text to have her check immediately ages and the physical description of the dead men in her files. JJ's theory could explain recent victims but who were his early victims?"

Morgan nods. "Good question. But to me the biggest question is why the delay in getting rid of the body parts? You would think trophies but if that were the case he'd never get rid of them. And why over the course of three years?" He taps a finger on the case file. "Forensics are already screwed by the initial freezing. So why keep them?"

"For the reaction," Reid mumbles. They all look at him. "He wants to see the reactions of the family; the despair when they only have a partial body; he wants to see them beg and know they are waiting for him to make a move. He controls their lives just the way he controlled their loved ones death."

Hotch slowly nods. "That sounds scarily right. So he's a narcissist in his 50's, maybe low 60's with a potential health issue. Should have him tracked down in no time."

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "Aaron…that was almost a joke."

Hotch grins. "Stick around, old man. Maybe I'll make another."

The team chuckles and goes back to the case files focusing on the new directions they'd come up with to try to pinpoint their profile so they can find the unsub soon.

* * *

"…and here is your key, Agent Prentiss. We hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you. Has a package been left for me? It would have come by special courier," Emily asks.

The woman checking her in types a bit and shakes her head. "No note in the computer. Let me double check the office. Be right back."

Emily nods as the woman steps back into the offices behind the counter. After a moment she comes back out.

"Sorry. Nothing yet. I'll make sure you're notified immediately if anything arrives."

Emily nods. "Thank you. And you all know about storing my suitcase tomorrow?"

"Yes, ma'am," she replies. "Just leave it here and it will be back in the offices when you return."

"Perfect. Thank you so much."

Emily grabs her two bags and turns. She had felt the eyes on her and she casually scans the lobby. She sees a man walking towards her, a briefcase strap across his body. He stops a few steps away and smiles at her.

"Agent Prentiss?"

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Yes?"

He chuckles. "Pen said you'd be suspicious." He holds up his credentials. "Dez Huffbach. I worked with Pen back on the, uh, Doyle thing," he finishes with a whisper. "And she called me up about the dismemberments."

Emily nods, relaxing a bit. "Ah, okay. She didn't mention you'd be stopping by."

"Honestly, I just wanted to meet you. To hear Pen tell it you're the most kick-ass agent ever. So, I decided instead of mailing the reports I'd bring them personally to you. Is, um, that okay?"

Emily smiles. "Sure it is. Tell you what? Let's go drop my gear off, you can tell me anything people shouldn't overhear, and then we can go to lunch to discuss the rest. FBI treat."

He grins. "Deal."

He grabs Emily's duffel bag as they start towards the elevator. He can't help but study her carefully. Sure she looked pretty and feminine and gorgeous. But he can also see that edge that makes her tough and dangerous. An unsub would be a fool to take her on thinking she would be a pushover since she's a woman. Yes…yes to get over on her would take cunning, skill and probably a lot of luck.

"So, how'd you come to be a cyber cop?" Emily asks as they await the next car.

Dez jumps, shaken out of his thoughts by her question. "Uh, well, kind of like Pen, actually."

Emily chuckles. "Cool. Do your bosses encourage you to use those hacking skills without asking you to use those hacking skills?"

He laughs. "All the time. I think if any lawyer really thought about it, he'd probably see a lot of our discoveries were discovered before they could be. But, hey, it's all to get the bad guy in the end."

"True. And used the right way I see no harm in it. The bad guys tend to have an edge most times. Hackers like you and Garcia even the playing field in my opinion."

He smiles and nods. "Exactly. Glad you see it my way."

As they get into the room, he pulls out a thumb drive and easily a whole packet of paper. Emily's eyes widen.

"It should worry me that there is so much to look at," she notes dryly

He nods. "Yeah, it should. I printed out the parts Pen said you like to make notes on. Full case files are on the drive and the file names correspond to the numbers at the tops of the first page."

Emily nods and blows out a breath. "Okay. So, what are you thinking?"

He looks confused. "Uh, about what?"

"I mean, any ideas on how many of these are red herrings?"

"Uh, how would I know?" he asks nervously.

Emily studies him a minute. "You don't really get into the cases, do you? Like Garcia does?"

He shakes his head. "No way! I get info and pass it on. They ask for more. I get it and pass it on."

"Ah, okay. We've turned Garcia into a profiler-in-training. But don't tell her that," she adds with a wink.

He chuckles nervously. "Uh, right. You're secret is safe with me."

"So, lunch?"

He nods. "Sure. Lunch. Great."

As the two head for the door, Dez lets out a nervous breath. He thought maybe she had figured it out. But for one more day it looks like his secret is safe.


	6. Chapter 6

JJ extends her hand to the chief of police. "Chief Davis, good to meet you. I'm Jennifer Jareau with the FBI BAU. Thank you for letting us try to help you narrow in on this unsub."

The chief shakes her hand but his eyes are guarded. "Still not sure about this. Won't your presence amp him up or something?"

"No. This unsub has a set pattern. We can't disrupt it because he doesn't see us, or any law enforcement, as an impediment to his plans. He is a mission-based narcissist. He will do things when he wants, how he wants, because no one has been smart enough to catch him in 20 years. We are non-entities in his mind. All that matters to him is killing more men and torturing their families with the slow return of the bodies."

He studies the woman in front of him. She looks like a petite little pregnant woman until you look into her eyes. It is in those blue orbs he sees the seasoned law enforcement officer; it is in those eyes he sees she is not to be dismissed as a pretty little messenger. He sighs.

"I really wish I could look at you and convince myself you and your team are wrong. But you know what the hell you're talking about, don't you?"

"Yes, sir. We are the top BAU team in the FBI. Our record speaks to our success in working with the locals and with each other to stop these men and women across the country. We wouldn't have pushed to come here if we didn't truly believe we can help you."

Davis slowly shakes his head. "Hate that it's coming to this. Let's go to my office and I can show you what we know, not that it's much. Maybe you can tell me what you all are thinking."

JJ nods. "Sounds like a good plan."

The two had been talking for an hour. JJ can't help but feel the man is appraising her about more than just this case. Out of the blue her suspicions are confirmed.

"…so hopefully Agent Prentiss can confirm whether or not he has been active in Nunavut as long as we think. From there we can- -"

"You all caught that bastard Reese, didn't you?"

"- - determine if he…What?"

Davis sees the flush of red on JJ's cheeks. He has struck a nerve. "Mitchell Reese…your team caught him, right?"

JJ takes a deep breath, clasping her hands together to make sure they don't shake. "Yes, we did. He nearly killed 2 of us but instead he's behind bars and will be the rest of his life."

Davis slowly nods. "I talked to the chief over in Minneapolis. He said his cases were colder than Minnesota in winter until you all traced a cell phone back to our twin city. Damn lucky break."

JJ nods. "Yes, it is. A testament to the skill of our technical analyst. Her searches have saved our butts and solved a case more times than I can count."

Davis chuckles. "Well, maybe we should just bring her in for this."

JJ manages a small smile. "Well, we do help her a little, Chief."

He nods. "I bet you do." He leans on his desk. "You and your chief have convinced me, Agent Jareau. I welcome your help in finding this bastard."

"Thank you, sir. If you can show me where we can set up I'll get our murder boards ready for the teams' arrival."

He stands and gestures towards the door. "Right this way, Agent."

He takes her to a conference room just down from his office. The boxes and files are stacked on the table and two whiteboards are waiting for them.

"Break room is at the end of the hall. Have coffee, sodas, etc. down there. Anything else you all need just ask."

"Who do I see to find out your printer info?"

"Um, I guess see Gail at the front desk. She prints more than any of us."

"Perfect. Let me get to work here. Hopefully by the time the team arrives we can start to cull more information into a solid preliminary profile."

Davis nods. "As you wish. Good luck, Agent Jareau."

"Thanks," JJ says and goes into the room to start setting everything up the way the team likes it

* * *

Reid gets out of the SUV and the breath is knocked out of his body as a bitterly cold wind whips off Pigs Eye Lake and cuts straight through his clothes.

"Holy crap that's cold!" he blurts out.

Morgan smiles. "Will feel like a spring breeze to Emily when she gets back down here."

Reid grins. "That only marginally makes me feel better."

The two make their way to the edge of the lake where the first parts were found four years before. It is a place that doesn't show a lot of signs of heavy activity. Morgan frowns.

"If those parts were dumped here today I doubt anyone would find them. We need to find out if this area had more traffic back then."

Reid nods. "Agreed. Could be that finding those parts drove people away from here. And that in turn made the unsub change where he dumped the body parts."

Morgan nods. "I could see that."

From the edge of the lake, Morgan slowly turns and scans everything he can see. He notes the main road is so far away he can barely make out the vehicles driving past on it. It was very secluded. That means the unsub would have privacy while dumping. But it would also mean people might remember seeing someone in that area.

"Why didn't a single person remember seeing a car or something here after the parts were found?"

Reid shrugs. "Could be back to the question of how popular was this area when the first parts were found. If people were used to seeing vehicles here they may not have thought anything about our unsub."

Morgan nods. "True. Let's go to the most recent dump site. I want to see how different it is than this one."

"Don't have to ask me twice," Reid says as he hurries back to the SUV.

Morgan chuckles. "You wouldn't be so cold if you put some meat on those bones, Pretty Boy."

"Whatever."

As they drive Reid is staring out at the lake. He suddenly sits up. "Morgan! Stop!"

Morgan immediately pulls over. Reid is out of the vehicle almost before it is stopped. He makes his way down to the water's edge. There on the ice rim is a trash bag. Morgan catches up to the genius.

"More parts?"

"Looks like it. Same sort of bag, no one around." Reid pulls out his phone and snaps a few pictures. He then eases a foot onto the ice.

"Easy, Reid," Morgan cautions.

"It's pretty thick here," Reid confirms. He takes another step and leans over to grab the bag. He slides it back towards the edge of the lake.

"I got it," Morgan says and pulls it up onto shore.

"Good." Reid takes a step…

…and his foot slips. His arms windmill as he tries to keep his balance. Morgan makes a swipe for him but misses. Reid crashes backwards onto the ice. Morgan's eyes are wide.

"REID! Was that your head or the ice making that cracking sound?"

"Head…ice…both," Reid mutters.

"Damn it. Lay still."

Morgan grabs Reid's foot and drags him to shore, noting the red blood trail left by the younger man's head. "Son of a bitch," Morgan mutters. "Give me your hand."

Reid extends his hand and Morgan grabs hit, pulling him completely up onto land. He kneels beside him. Reid grabs his head and then looks at his hand, staring at the blood on it.

"I cut my head open."

"No shit, Sherlock. Put pressure on it while I check the bag."

Reid nods, wincing as he presses his glove to the back of his head. Morgan turns and runs his hand over the bag. Without opening it he confirms it is, indeed, another calling card from the unsub.

"Son of a bitch." He stands and pulls out his phone. "JJ, we have more body parts. We're on the western side of the lake between the first and last dump sites." He listens a second. "Yeah. And send an ambulance, too. Pretty boy cracked his skull on the ice." He listens again then chuckles. "Actually I think it did more damage to the ice but he'll need to get it checked out."

"Ha ha," Reid grunts.

"Right. Okay, I'll see you soon then." Morgan pockets his phone. "JJ is going to hitch a ride out here so you can go get your head examined. She'll help me finish the lake canvas."

"I will be fine, Morgan. No need for her and the babies to come out in this cold."

"We need two sets of eyes, preferably with neither having a concussion. Get it checked out and meet us at the station."

Reid sighs. He hates to admit it but his head is throbbing so badly he knows a concussion is a possibility.

"I hope I don't need stitches. It will suck if they have to cut my hair."

Morgan looks at the haphazard hair cut Reid sports. "Who would ever know?" he teases.

Before Reid can respond they hear the first sirens approaching. Morgan walks up to the road to direct them where to part so they can start securing the scene and the latest body parts.

* * *

Hotch and Rossi take a seat in the living room of Marilyn Jones. She sighs as she stares up at the family portraits on the fireplace mantle.

"His disappearance drove my husband to his grave. Well, the disappearance and then the…the legs showing up with his hands." She squeezes her hands together. "They identified him based on fingerprints in something he made in kindergarten. Can you believe it? Something that had gathered dust for years…" her voice trails off.

"I know nothing we can say can take away the pain of your loss, Mrs. Jones," Hotch begins. "But we really want to find who did this to Jerry. We are pursuing new information both here and in Canada that could lead us to the person that did this."

"Canada? Why would he come here to murder my Jerry?"

"We don't know. It could be the killer is from here and goes there certain times of the year," Hotch explains.

"Oh. I see." She takes a deep, steadying breath. "I…I'm not sure what I can tell you but I'll try to help if I can."

"Thank you. Can you tell me if you remember anyone giving Jerry cause for concern?"

Marilyn thinks carefully before shaking her head. "His only troubles were typical ones for recent college graduates: big ideas, first real job, first realization that his big dreams didn't equal a big paycheck," she finishes with a sad laugh. "I kept telling him to bide his time, learn from the people that had been there longer, and in time he'd get the money he deserved." She shrugs. "I never realized I was lying to him. He never did get that money."

Rossi reaches for her hand. "You didn't lie to him. Someone stole that chance from him. Now, what was Jerry doing the day he disappeared?"

She frowns a bit. "I don't know. They found his car at the shopping mall so I guess he went there for something. The police think the car could have been dumped there so I don't really know."

Rossi and Hotch exchange a look. Why would the police offer up an alternative to the family? Or did they make the assumption and never check anything else?

"What did he normally do on the weekends?" Rossi asks.

"Oh, well, sometimes he'd go cross-country skiing. Other times he and his friends would do things. He didn't have plans with us that weekend but sometimes he would just pop in for a free meal."

"So he lived somewhere else?"

"Oh, yes. He lived with us until he had enough for first and last month's rent at an apartment complex near where he worked. He wanted to spread his wings even though we encouraged him to stay here and save up until he could buy a place. But I guess once you've had freedom in college it's hard to suddenly live under your parents' thumb again."

Rossi smiles and nods. "I'm sure it is. Now, here's one more standard question we always ask: if Jerry saw someone struggling, either with a large item or maybe with a disability, was he the type to offer to help?"

Marilyn nods. "Yes. Always. He was a very sweet boy. I always thought he'd have made Eagle Scout if it hadn't started being uncool to his friends."

"Can you think of anything, something that maybe seemed unimportant at the time, that he might have mentioned in the days leading up to his disappearance? Maybe a new neighbor or something that gave him pause?" Hotch asks.

"No, Agent Hotchner, nothing. I…I don't often think of the days before. I try to just remember the good times."

"That's very understandable." He offers her his card. "If you happen to think of anything, no matter how small, please give me a call."

"Okay," she says taking the card. "Agent Hotchner, will you find this man? Will you find who did this to Jerry?"

Sincere brown eyes lock with sad green eyes. "I swear we will do all we can to track this man down. Jerry's case is open in our files now and will stay that way until it is closed no matter how long it takes."

A tear slips down her cheek. "Thank you. Thank you both so much."

They stand and Marilyn escorts them to the door. As the agents get in the SUV Hotch smacks the steering wheel.

"I hate the collateral damage. She lost her son, then her husband. And she never mentioned her other children. Something tells me she's distanced herself from them."

"Because she couldn't handle it if something happens to one of them."

Hotch nods. "Exactly. He destroyed a whole family, Dave. A whole fucking family."

"And maybe us catching the bastard starts that family coming back together."

"Maybe," Hotch agrees. "Who's up next?"

Rossi reads off the address of the office where the next interview will take place. Hotch puts the SUV in gear and drives on, hoping they will learn something more this time. As they drive his phone rings. He answers on speaker and drops it in the cup holder.

"Yes, Morgan?"

"We have more body parts."

"Son of a bitch."

"Exactly. Even better, Pretty Boy went out on the ice to get it, slipped and popped the back of his head open."

"Oh for Pete's sake," Rossi mutters.

Morgan chuckles. "He's mostly fine. More embarrassed than anything. JJ is on her way to help me finish the canvas of dump sites while Reid goes to get his brains put back inside."

Hotch rolls his eyes. "Tell JJ to be careful. She doesn't need to slip on snow or ice nor does she need to get sick. Prentiss will go Xena on us and kill us all."

Morgan starts to laugh. "Nice reference, Hotch. I promise to take care of her as long as you promise not to tell her I'm taking care of her."

"Deal. See you at the precinct later."

"Sounds good. Hopefully the forensic team and coroner will have some preliminaries for us. According the M.E.'s assistant these parts will be flagged for quick investigation."

"Good. Take care, Morgan."

"You, too."

Hotch hangs up and shakes his head. "He couldn't know we were here yet so it's not a jab at us. The question is: will he ramp up his dump pattern once he finds out we're here?"

Rossi shrugs. "I doubt it. Unless we find something in the full case files that shows us he's been injecting himself into the investigation he won't care we're here."

Hotch nods. "You're probably right. Still, I want us to finish up interviews, finish the dump site canvas, and finish file reviews as soon as possible so I can make a statement. I want him to know we're here to see if we can get him to make a move."

"Could work."

Hotch just nods. He can hear the truth in Rossi's voice: it was a long shot. But for a case this baffling a long shot was better than no shot at all.

* * *

At 10 p.m. Hotch looks at the gathered agents. They still had a lot of files to go over. Reid had a headache that was not getting better even though he was trying not to bring it up. The chief sits forward.

"We need to step away," he says into the silence. The others look up from the papers in front of them. "We still have a lot to go through including anything Prentiss has sent us and she may have more tomorrow. Reid, did you get your prescription filled?"

Reid blushes. "Uh, they filled it for me but I- -"

"Spence, let me have it. I'll make sure you only take what you need. And tonight you need one," JJ says.

"Yeah, Reid, trust us to help you," Morgan adds.

Reid sighs. He reaches into his satchel and grabs the pill bottle. He tosses it to JJ. She smiles.

"Good boy. Take your pill and maybe you can get a cookie, too."

Everyone, even Reid, chuckles. "Thanks, Mommy Prentiss," he replies.

The team packs up and heads back to the hotel. Once there, JJ does give Reid a pill and he promises to take it. She even buys him a pack of cookies out of the vending machine as promised.

As she settles into her hotel room she sighs. "Another case away from you, Emily. Kind of getting sick of this shit," she mumbles aloud. She then rubs her stomach. "But I am happy to be here with you two. Think you can give me a night without weird or scary dreams? Maybe a few nights since your Mommy will be hard to reach?" She gets no response. She grins. "I'll take your silence as an 'okay, Mommy' for now."

Amused with herself, JJ gets ready for bed and crawls in. She sighs. All beds seem so huge when her wife isn't beside her.

"I love you, Emily," she whispers and closes her eyes.

Thankfully the nesters give her a peaceful night's sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Emily stands at the gate. She shivers as she watches the wind whipping the coat around a worker loading baggage on the plane she is preparing to board. The gate agent notices her apprehension and smiles.

"First time flying that far north?"

Emily nods. "Yes. So, um, how cold is too cold to fly?"

"Oh, you're safe until it gets down around -30. Luckily it's a pleasant -5 in Kuujjuag and -8 in Iqaluit. You'll have no problems at all."

Emily rubs her stomach. "Yeah…not making me feel any better."

The man smiles. "Sorry. I tried."

Emily just nods. She pulls out her phone and punches JJ's number.

"Hi, Em. Headed north?" JJ answers.

"Yeah," Emily croaks.

JJ pauses. "Emily, what's wrong?"

Emily steps away from the other passengers. "Just…it's so cold. I just…wanted to tell you I love you."

"Fuck, Em," JJ breathes. "Please don't say it like that."

"Can't help it. It's cold here in Montreal and worse the farther north I go. I needed…I just wanted you to know I love you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You and the kids are my world."

"EM! Son of bitch, Emily! Stop saying it like your plane is going down!" JJ scolds in frustration. Someone speaks near her. "She's being a fatalistic ninny, that's what's going on," she replies to whoever she is speaking with.

"Jen, please, I just need- -" she is interrupted as another voice comes on the line.

"Emily, statistics for plane crashes show an extremely high number of them in warm weather climates. Surprisingly there are very few that happen at elevations and temperatures such as you will be experiencing," Reid says. "In fact, the airline you are flying has never had a crash in the many years it has existed, either as a passenger airline or when it was just a freight liner. As it is, you have a better chance of making it home than we do, statistically speaking."

Emily can't help but laugh at the round of groans and scolds she hears in the background. The next voice she hears is her wife's.

"So, Em, smile because according to the boy genius we're the ones who should be shaking in our boots. Geez, Spence," she mutters.

Emily chuckles. "Uh, it may not help your worries but I do feel a little better now."

"Good. So, let me step away before Reid spurts something else to give me more gray hair. Emily, be careful up there. I know you will arrive just fine and return just fine. It's the in-between I worry about. Watch out for wild animals and the weather, especially when you go out to check out the potential dump sites."

"I will, Jen. I promise. Damn, they are calling my flight. It probably won't surprise you to hear there are only a handful of us going north."

JJ chuckles. "Nope, not surprising." She sighs. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too, Jen. Talk to you tonight."

"Count on it, Mrs. Prentiss."

"I will, Mrs. Prentiss." Emily takes a deep breath. "Bye, honey."

"For now, baby."

Emily smiles at her wife's farewell. She pockets her phone and picks up her briefcase and stares at the stuffed toy sticking out of it.

"Well, Bear-Bear, it's just you and me. Ready?" She pauses. "Good, I knew you would be."

She turns towards the gate and sees the agent chuckling. She grins at him.

"My son didn't want me to be lonely," she explains.

"And with a conversationalist like Bear-Bear I guess you won't be," he jokes.

Emily laughs. "Definitely not."

She hands her boarding pass over and goes out to get on the plane for the trip to, as Henry put it when she called home last night, Santa's House.

* * *

Garcia smacks her desk, not at ALL happy with the lack of information her computers are giving her. She has checked out every hospital system in Minnesota and none have records of a man getting treatment there but spending part of the year in Canada.

"Think. Think. Think." She stands and paces a minute, then it strikes her. "His wife or kid!"

She starts to type, hoping maybe she can find a spouse, child or parent in the records who has the Canadian connection. By 11 a.m. she has to face the facts: if the medical assumption is correct they have it backwards.

"Someone lives in Minnesota but returns to Canada for treatment," she decides. With a resigned sigh she hits Hotch's number.

"Garcia, you're on speaker," he answers.

"Might want to take me off since I have absolutely NOTHING to give you and it will only serve to depress your team that the great goddess has failed."

Morgan chuckles. "Sweet Goddess, you know if you've failed it's only because us mere mortals haven't given you what you need."

Hotch smiles and nods. "He's right, Garcia. What have you been trying to find?"

She explains the search she had run through the night as well as the revised version she tried this morning, made a little quicker since she'd already been in all the databases.

"There's just no one, sir. The only possibility is they are Canadian and go up there for treatment. If that's the case, well, I am going to need…well…time, let's say," she finishes.

"Time? You losing your touch, Baby Girl?" Morgan teases.

"Bite your tongue, my love. Better yet, let me bite it," she answers, a grin in her voice.

"Garcia…" Hotch warns as the others chuckle.

"Sorry, sir. Couldn't resist. Truth is, I may not be able to find what you need in time to save someone else. I am so, so sorry."

The collected agents sigh. They had hoped Garcia's search would point them towards a suspect or two to question. Hotch sighs.

"You did a good job, Garcia. It may be we're looking at this all wrong. There may be no medical connect at all. If you feel the need to search farther north use your contacts as needed," he tells her, basically telling her to make sure someone helps her find things officially if she hacks and finds a lead. "While that runs, start to weed through some of the files Emily flagged for us. We're going to continue speaking with friends and family of the victims today."

"Yes, sir. And please make sure Reid doesn't leave without his helmet. We don't need his genius brains scrambled like an egg."

Everyone chuckles as Reid rolls his eyes. "Ha ha, Garcia."

"I'll hit you back when I have something."

Hotch hangs up his phone and looks at the agents. "How much more do we need to look at here?"

Rossi shrugs. "I'm ready to see the next batch of parents."

Morgan nods. "JJ and I are going to see employers while Reid works some more on the geoprofile."

"After I finish that I'll start going through the files from Emily. I can get with Garcia for anything I need more information on," Reid finishes.

Hotch nods. "Sounds good. JJ, a word, please?"

JJ rolls her eyes and follows Hotch down to another office. "I hesitate to let you out of the office only because if the captain or detective starts to question Reid he'll either dazzle them with brilliance or lose them with rambling facts."

JJ nods. She hadn't thought about that. "Good point."

"If I call and tell you to get back it here it will be to try to maintain our presence here in St. Paul. Call it instinct but I think we're more likely to find the unsub here than in White Bear. Tomorrow Morgan and I will head up there to do the preliminary ground work while Reid and Rossi continue to follow up on anything here."

"And I need to make sure the powers that be here see our actions as moving forward. Out of curiosity, how will I do that?"

"At the moment I don't know. Hopefully by the end of the day you and I can come up with a game plan to that end."

JJ nods. "I'll keep it in mind today as we're talking to people. Maybe someone will give us that nugget we need to keep the locals happy."

"Exactly. Now, about your wife…is she okay?"

"She is. Just freaking out a bit about the flight because of how cold it is. She'll be fine once she gets to Iqaluit."

"Good. If at any point you feel she needs to step away from up there and- -"

JJ frowns. "Step away? Hotch, what are you saying? You don't trust her?"

He sighs. "I do trust her. But it was pointed out to me that she never debriefed with a shrink after the last couple of cases. And that call was very out of character for her."

"Hotch, she's fine. I promise if I had any doubt I'd tell you just to keep her safe."

"Okay, I trust your judgment."

"Thank you. For the trust and the concern."

"No problem. Now, let's get out there."

JJ smiles and follows him back to the conference room. She wanted to grab a few things before going with Morgan to talk to the last known employers of the victims.

* * *

Emily is clutching Bear-Bear to her chest as her plane finally touches down in Iqaluit. The hop to Kuujjuag had been calm. But this leg had been nothing but turbulence, sudden drops, and every manner of scary experience you could name. She takes a deep breath and finally opens her eyes.

"Bear-Bear, I wonder how long it would take to sail home. Or drive. Or even fucking swim," she mutters to her "companion."

As she gets off the plane she has to fight the urge to drop to her knees and kiss the ground. As she grabs her duffel bag she hears someone say her name.

"Agent Prentiss?"

Emily turns and sees a man in jeans, a khaki flannel shirt with a badge attached and a very warm looking parka. She smiles.

"You must be Detective Sam Amaruq."

He smiles. "Guilty as charged."

She shakes his hand, smiling. "Well, that's one part of my case solved." They chuckle. "So, I did some reading and if I remember correctly your last name means wolf. I hope that means you're as good a tracker as your namesake?"

He shrugs. "I tend to be. When I hunt, I am usually successful. I keep my family fed throughout the year. I can only hope that success translates to this case. Of course, I had no idea this…I hesitate to use the word man…but I had no idea he was at work. It's just…easy to find a body part and assume." He shakes his head. "The coroner and I were guilty of assumptions that let a killer work undetected for years. My predecessor's had the same problem. How many years did we let him get away with this, Agent?"

Emily sighs. "Honestly, right now I don't know. I've made it through about half the flagged cases. Some are exactly as you think. Others, well, we'll need to look into more than the summaries I have."

Amaruq nods. "Okay. Can I help?"

Emily grins. "My guess is you've started pulling cases, too." He blushes and nods. "Nothing wrong with that. Let me go through things on my own first. That way I can't be swayed by your opinions or ideas. Once I am done we can meet, maybe eliminate some more and then…then the part that scares me more than the unsub."

He laughs. "The trips to the sites the parts were found?"

It's now Emily's turn to blush. "Yes. Small planes aren't really my thing."

"Well, you won't be in the smallest plane. Not the largest either. Room for 2 plus survival gear and any forensic gear you want to take. You should be able to land close to all the sites with no problem. I'll have snow shoes and skis in the plane with you, too."

"Perfect. I am getting the feeling you're not going with me."

"Nope. My daughter will be flying you out there. She's one of the best pilots we have on the island. She can land safely in small areas. There's no one I trust more with your safety."

Emily smiles. "Good to know. Uh…you do love your daughter, right? She isn't a burr in your butt like I am to my parents, right? And I'm a profiler so I'll know if you're lying," she teases.

He laughs and picks up her duffel bag. "I love all my kids with all my heart, Agent. Promise."

Emily nods, chuckling. "Okay, I detected no deception. Let's get to your office so I can call my team and get to work."

He nods and leads her out to a well-used Bronco. In a few short minutes they are at the police station and Emily starts to sort case files as she hits her wife's speed dial.

"Good timing, Prentiss," JJ answers. "We were starting to think you'd been kidnapped by rogue elves."

Emily hears chuckling from her teammates. "Funny, Jareau. Very funny. In case you haven't figured it out, I made it to Iqaluit. I've got some cases I plan to look deeper into and some more I've eliminated. I'll send Garcia a list of any I think are linked to the Minnesota killer so she can get you the full case files."

"Sounds good," Hotch says. "Rossi and I are getting ready to meet with some more parents and family members of the known victims. To that end, fingerprints gave us the identity of the body parts that brought us here. No hits on the hands Reid and Morgan pulled from the lake."

"Damn. Well maybe we'll get lucky and that person will be found via DNA," she says hopefully.

"Hopefully. Reid is going to continue to work on his geoprofile. I'm also going to have him do one for the cases you flag in Canada. Maybe having 2 different places to compare will give us a hint as to who we are looking for."

"Good idea. So can I guess Jen and Morgan are going to employers?"

"Yes," Hotch answers warily.

"Hotch, why do you say that like I'm going to be pissed? This unsub goes after men. Morgan's lucky to have someone to protect him."

Hotch and the others laugh. Morgan leans onto the table. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Princess."

Emily grins. "Well, I need to get at these cases. I think it is safe to say the unsub has been working longer in Canada than in the U.S. It will take me the rest of today and probably all day tomorrow to weed these cases down and figure out the best places to go check out. You all feel free to catch this bastard and make my trek into the wild unnecessary. I promise not to get mad," she tells them.

Rossi chuckles. "We'll do our best, kid. Keep warm up there."

"I will, Rossi. I've got Bear-Bear to snuggle with. It's almost as good as having my wife with me."

JJ chuckles. "Yeah, right. I'll remember that, Prentiss."

"Love you, Jen."

"Riiiight. Love you, too, Em."

"You all take care. I'll talk to you when I have something," Emily says.

"See you, Prentiss," Hotch says and nods to JJ to end the call.

Emily sets her phone on the table and looks at the piles and piles of cases in front of her.

"Well, Prentiss, dig in," she tells herself as she reaches for the next case file, wondering if it will end up in the "Probable" pile or the "Eliminated" pile. She crosses her fingers for the latter as this guy has a scary number of probable kills already.


	8. Chapter 8

"So why was Gary taking a leave of absence?" Morgan asks Diego Ortiz regarding the fourth victim found over the course of 3 years.

Diego sighs. "As a child he'd had cancer. I'll never forget the day he walked into my office, his face pale, his eyes…God his eyes still haunt me." He takes a steadying breath. "The cancer was back. And this time…it was an aggressive form. He was due to start treatment in a week and said he needed time to get things right in his head. He was a good man, a good worker. I told him we were behind him 100% and anything he needed he'd get from us. He wanted to go out into the wilderness one last time to connect with nature; remind himself what he is fighting for he said." He shakes his head and looks off into his memories. "I never saw him again."

"And you knew it wasn't the cancer that took him?" JJ confirms.

"He never made it back to start the treatments. His mother and brother asked me if I thought he…he was…you know…"

"Going off to commit suicide?" JJ guesses.

Diego nods. "Yes. I told him he was in shock but getting ready for a fight, not giving up. But after a while…even I wondered." He leans forward on his desk and stares into JJ's eyes. "He didn't deserve to die like that, Agent Jareau! He was a fighter and a good man. He didn't deserve it!" he insists.

JJ nods. "I believe you. No one deserves to die at someone else's hand."

He sits back, settled by something he sees in the icy blue eyes in front of him. "Good. You're right. You'll do right by him? You'll find the bastard that did this?"

"We'll do everything we can, Mr. Ortiz. I promise. What else can you tell us about him? His habits?"

When the agents leave 20 minutes later JJ sighs. "So many years later and he is still haunted by that murder."

Morgan nods. "Yep. Sounds like Gary Burns was a good man. Even his co-workers liked him and were devastated by his loss."

"Yeah. And every single one of them agreed if someone needed help he'd help them. And that he liked to make friends out in the woods he loved so much; respected others with a love for nature."

The two agents sit quietly. Finally Morgan shakes his head.

"So far today we have a friendly outdoorsman, a juvenile delinquent turned young man angry at the world, and a gay man struggling with his sexuality. What the hell is the common thread here?" he ponders.

JJ bites her lip as she thinks about it. "The struggle. Each was struggling with something personally."

"True. And maybe 2 of them would have confided to others but the delinquent? Doesn't sound like he'd give someone the time of day let alone open up to them."

"Maybe not. But if the unsub just…sensed the struggle, sensed the feeling of 'one against the world' attitude, it would have made him a good mark."

Morgan thinks about that a moment, then nods. "I can see that. Most serial killers have a degree of empathy that lets them see into their victim's heads. But I am still at a loss as to why keep them so long, them dismember them and dump them over the course of three years."

"The time would be the control over the families that we've discussed. But the why is what gets me because how does he control his need to kill over that time? Or are there missing persons we don't know about somewhere?" JJ points out.

Morgan sighs. "Is it crazy that I am so intrigued by this bastard?"

JJ grins. "No it just makes you a profiler, Morgan."

Morgan chuckles. "Yeah, maybe." He starts the SUV. "So, where too next, Navigator?"

JJ gives him the next address on their list.

* * *

Hotch sighs as the door is slammed in his face. He turns to Rossi. "Well, I'd say that went less than stellar."

Rossi chuckles. "Such a gift for understatement, Aaron."

As the two make their way to the SUV Hotch shrugs. "So I guess we know why Toby Wiles needed to get away to clear his head."

"Definitely. If his father is still that angry over the possibility his son was gay I doubt he was very supportive while the son was struggling with it."

Hotch nods. "And it explains why the police looked at the father very carefully when Wiles went missing." He thinks a moment as they sit in the driveway. "Toby needed someone to talk to." He pulls out his phone and hits Garcia's number. "Garcia, check into Toby Wiles' phone and computer history. We need to know if he contacted any LGBT groups or hotlines for help with his personal issues with his sexuality."

"On it, sir. And just to update you, Emily has seen the plane she will be taking tomorrow. She told me she will find a way to get revenge against you."

Hotch and Rossi laugh. Hotch shakes his head. "Any other member of this team and I wouldn't worry but a vengeful Emily Prentiss is actually a very scary prospect. I'll have to watch out when she gets back to the States."

"A wise decision, sir," Garcia agrees. "I'll let you know if I can find any strings for you to tug."

"Sounds good, Garcia." Hotch pockets his phone and looks at Rossi. "So, where next?"

Rossi opens the folder in his hands. "Gary Burns. Morgan and JJ talked with his boss earlier. Childhood cancer had returned with a vengeance. He was taking a week to clear his head before starting aggressive treatment."

"A medical link," Hotch notes.

"Yes. But the first one so far. What the hell other reasons would someone have to cross the border like this?"

Hotch shrugs. "I don't know. But just because not all the victims had a medical reason doesn't mean the unsub doesn't have one. It's still the most viable thing we've come up with."

"True. Doesn't mean we're right," Rossi points out.

"I know. I have to admit, Dave, it doesn't feel right to me. I feel like it's…it's something else that we just aren't seeing."

Rossi grins. "Glad I'm not the only one. Could just be old age driving him south. Old bones ache in the cold. Minnesota is slightly warmer than Baffin Island. Could be something as simple as that."

"Could be," Hotch agrees as he turns into the parking lot of the apartment complex where the mother of Gary Burns lives.

* * *

As Reid puts yet another sticker on the same address he frowns. "It's got to be the medical clinic," he mutters as he pulls out his phone. "Garcia, I have the same address showing up over and over again but there are different doctor's names listed. What kind of clinic is it?"

Garcia starts to type. "It is…a psychiatric clinic. That explains why it didn't raise flags before. Mental illness is very protected."

"You think I didn't know that?" Reid jokes.

"Ah, right. Sorry, Reid."

"No problem. Any chance we can get a glimpse into why all our victims went there? And maybe their employees?"

Garcia hesitates. "Reid, you all know how much I hate to access those types of records. Do you really think it's necessary?"

"I'm afraid I do, Garcia. It is the only common address for all the victims. They had to have all met the unsub there. It's not a doctor because they all saw different ones so it had to be someone else."

"Or maybe another patient," Garcia suggests. "If they all have the same waiting room they could strike up a conversation."

Reid nods. "True. Start with employees with a connect to Canada. If that doesn't work we'll start to think about patients. I'm going to go there now and see if anyone remembers the victims."

Garcia gets nervous. "Uh, Boy Wonder, is that smart? I mean, to go alone if the unsub is in the area hunting they could see you and I don't want to wait 3 years to see you all together again, you know?"

Reid grins. "Uh, thanks. You're right. I'll call Hotch and Rossi to let them know what I've found. They may contact you for anything you find before they check it out."

"Sounds good, Reid. Nice job, my little map-o-phile."

Reid grins. "Actually the correct term is 'cartophile' in case it ever comes up on Jeopardy."

Garcia laughs. "Noted, Dr. Cartophile. Toodles!

Reid hangs up and immediately calls Hotch. He leaves a message for his boss to call as soon as possible then gets back to placing stickers on his map. He grins. He really does love maps. Strange but true.

It is nearly 20 minutes later when Hotch calls Reid back. "Please tell me you have something that can let us talk to someone other than devastated family members."

"I think I do. And Garcia was able to get me a little info that will help." He tells them about the psychiatric connection. "Though she hasn't gotten into medical records, she did check employment records and no one that worked there in the last 10 years has a connection to Canada."

"Why 10 years?" Rossi asks.

"She saw no connect in 5 and checked an additional 5 to be sure," Reid answers.

Rossi smiles. "Smart girl."

"Okay, Reid, Rossi and I will head over there now. Good work finding a missing link." As Hotch hangs up he notices Rossi rubbing his temple. "Headache?"

"Yeah," Rossi nods. "You know it's bad enough when someone has simply had a loved one murdered. But to…to have them returned in pieces over the course of years…" he shakes his head.

Hotch nods. "I know. They have so many questions and barely have the relief of at least having their loved ones body for burial. So many more horrific questions for them when they got them back in pieces."

"Yep. Let's hope to hell we can find some answers for them. I hate the thought of having to walk away from this one with nothing but a profile for the locals to use."

"Me, too."

The two men are silent the rest of the trip, knowing there is a good chance that this unsub could get away with more murders, more torturing of families if they don't get a lead at the clinic. 

* * *

Emily takes off her glasses and runs a hand over her face. She had barely made it through half the cases before the pounding in her head tells her it's quitting time. Internally she curses the head injury that she knows is the reason she has to stop. It is only 5:30 but she knows she can't risk a migraine after assuring Hotch and JJ she would be fine.

"Used to be able to go over this shit until midnight or later," she mutters. "Fucking bastard Sebastian Scout."

"Scout a suspect?"

Emily turns to the doorway that Amaruq leans against. "Afraid not. He's the bastard that gave me a bit of a head injury that is contributing to my headache."

"Ah. Guess the cold and elevation aren't helping. Was it a concussion?"

Emily grins. "Worse. Coma with brains swelling requiring a shunt."

Amaruq's eyes widen. "Damn! Well, hopefully the bastard is in prison."

"He will be. He's in jail right now awaiting trial, not to mention extradition to several more states where he killed. He'll never be free again."

"Good. Sounds like a time your country's death penalty would be well employed."

"I'm not going to argue that one," Emily agrees. She stands and stretches. "So, I'm finished with these for tonight. I still have those," she points to 2 piles, "to go through tomorrow. If all goes well your daughter can take me out to the dump sites the day after."

Amaruq nods. "Okay I'll let her know. Now, ready for a ride to your hotel?"

Emily nods. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem." He grins. "My son owns it."

Emily laughs. "Nepotism?"

"But of course," he jokes.

The two bundle up for the move out into the extreme cold of December in Iqaluit. Emily tucks her head against the wind as she follows Amaruq out. As they exit she shivers as a brisk wind cuts through her many layers as if she is naked.

"Son of a bitch," she mumbles against the face mask she wears.

She lifts her head to see where the SUV is and stumbles to a stop in astonishment. Amaruq hears that she has stopped walking and turns back towards her. He sees the wonder in her eyes as she stares up at the Aurora Borealis. The myriad of colours explode across a sky nearly void of pollution. Emily can barely breathe she is so taken by the majesty of the sight. Amaruq grins.

"I've lived here my whole life. I love seeing people experience that for the first time."

Emily just shakes her head. "I…I saw them in Alaska but this…this is…wow…"

He smiles. "Very little industry means no pollution. We don't have a lot of light from the city to interfere. But when my daughter takes you out into the wilderness you'll lose your mind at how much prettier it is when there is absolutely no ambient light to interfere."

Emily smiles. "Finally a reason to look forward to that trip."

Amaruq chuckles as they continue on to the Bronco and a trip to the quaint little hotel his son runs down the street from the station. 

* * *

At 7:30 Hotch addresses his team in Minnesota. "Rossi, let them know what we found at the clinic today."

"All the victims had been seeing one of the doctors in that office around the time they went missing. Unfortunately none of the doctors remember a patient with any sort of ties to Canada."

"What about a patient there when the disappearances happened that stopped going when winter ended?" JJ asks

"They weren't willing to give us that information without a warrant. They all felt it was a fishing trip," Rossi explains.

JJ raises an eyebrow. "Can I assume we're using…other resources to check that out?"

Rossi grins. "That would be a safe assumption."

Morgan stretches and then sits forward. "We talked to the parole officer of Calvin Green. He was sentenced to anger management counseling as part of his deal to get out of jail early. Do we know if any others were seeing doctors due to a court order?"

"So far no," Hotch answers. "The others would have been there voluntarily."

"And would have been more likely to be chatty about why they are there. Green would have been surly, less likely to want to talk. How sure are we that the unsub isn't an employee?" Reid asks.

"None have a connect to Canada," Hotch explains.

Silence greets that statement. The others exchange a glance.

"Tool markings changed," Morgan points out.

"Different hunting season," JJ adds.

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "Could we really have 2 different unsubs and Emily is looking for someone in Canada only while we look for someone just in the U.S.?"

JJ starts to chuckle. "Oh, Hotch, it's been nice knowing you if that turns out to be the case."

Everyone laughs as Hotch looks a little worried.

"How about we not bring that up to Prentiss just yet," he states nervously. "That said, tomorrow let's continue the interviews. If Garcia finds anything regarding the clinic I'd like Reid and Rossi to go check it out. JJ, word has it the press is asking for an update. Mind if I turn you into a liaison for a press conference with the chief?"

"I think I can handle that," she tells him.

"Good. Let's call it a night. Reid, Rossi you're teamed up tomorrow for the rest of the employer interviews. I'll go with Morgan to talk to families then head up to White Bear."

The team nods and shuts down for the night, hoping tomorrow they will get the break they need to feel like they are moving forward in the case they had begged to get involved with.

* * *

"Henry, thank you so much for letting me borrow Bear-Bear. It is so cold up here but he is keeping me nice and warm."

"And no lonely?"

"Well, I miss you all a lot but he keeps me from getting too lonely."

Henry smiles. "I good, Mama."

"Oh, Champ, you are very good. I love you so much."

"Bring me home pet bear?"

Emily laughs. "Sorry, Champ, your mommy said I wasn't allowed."

Henry gives a heartfelt sigh. "I talk to Mommy. Maybe she say yes."

"You can try and if she says yes I'll pack a pet bear in my bag for you."

"Thanks, Mama!" Henry squeals happily.

Oh yeah…he is so getting stuffed polar bear toy.

"I love you, Henry."

"Love you, Mama!"

"Well, Champ, think I can talk to Rocky for a second?"

"Sure, Mama. Rock, it Mama."

"Mama!"

"Hey, sweet girl. You being good for Aunt Franny?"

"Si, Mama. Eat. Play. Sleep."

Emily laughs. "Good girl. That could almost be a book title," she jokes way over her daughter's head. "Are the animals being good?"

"Si."

Rocky babbles through a long explanation that includes the names of both animals as well as the words book, time, love, and, Emily thinks, apple.

"Wow, sounds like you had a great day, little one."

"Si, Mama. Cookie. Bye!"

"Uh, love you, Rocky."

"Sorry, cara, too late. She saw me give Henry his cookie," Francesca explains.

Emily laughs. "I'll just pretend 'cookie' means 'I love you, Mama'."

Francesca laughs. "Good idea. All is good up there, yes?"

"Mostly. Was starting to get a headache so I called it a night. Getting ready to go down for dinner but wanted to give the kids and you a call first."

"I am glad, cara. You be safe up there. Oh, and about Henry's request? The answer is no, cara."

Emily laughs. "Yeah, I know. Cute as heck he asked though."

"Si, but no pet bears. I draw the line."

"Understood, ma'am," Emily agrees. "So, let me get off of here. I'll talk to you all again tomorrow."

"Be careful and stay warm, Emily. Ti amo."

"Ti amo, Francesca."

Emily hangs up, smiling. Yes, her heart was nice and warm after that talk. Now to warm up the rest of her body with a nice meal of caribou stew and fresh baked bread. According to Amaruq, his daughter-in-law's cooking was the best on the entire island. She grabs a book to read as she eats, knowing she needs to turn off the case for a little while and relax to keep her headache from getting worse.

* * *

Emily sets her book aside when she hears her wife's ringtone start to sound. She grabs her phone.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Hi, Em. How's the weather up there?"

"Oh, just perfect. It's a balmy 78 tonight. I'm even thinking of taking a dip in the ocean tomorrow," Emily teases back.

"Ha ha, woman. I just looked it up. Got to say…still glad it's me not you," JJ admits with a laugh.

Emily chuckles. "In a way, me, too. But in another way, that's not very nice, Mrs. Prentiss."

"Yeah, I know," JJ giggles. "But I hope the love I have for you keeps you warm."

"Mmm, that it does, Jen. That it does. So how did your day in St. Paul go?"

"Had its ups and downs. We did find a link between all the victims and a shrink's clinic. Local police didn't notice it since all the vics were seeing different doctors. It wasn't until Reid put all the details on the map that he saw the connect."

"Great! Think you all will find the killer there before I have to fly somewhere else?"

JJ's mind flashes to the last discussion the team had had before calling it a night. "Uh, probably not."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Jen, you have always sucked at hiding something from me. Don't think my brain is frozen and I can't tell when you're trying."

JJ sighs. "It may be nothing. We just couldn't find anything to tie employees at the clinic to Canada."

Emily considers this a moment. "I swear, Jennifer, if we turn out to have 2 unsubs and this trip was unnecessary Hotch will need to run far, far away when I get back to the States."

JJ grins. "Yeah, he is already making plans to be scarce if that's the case. I was actually running over notes again since I have to do a press conference tomorrow. If it makes you feel better, I just can't imagine we have 2 unsubs with such distinctive m.o.'s. We just haven't found the right information to tie all the cases together and point us towards a suspect."

"What about patients at the clinic?" Emily asks.

"The doctors wouldn't release any information to us. Garcia is doing a quick looksee into their files tonight to see if she can find anything that can give us a reason to find probable cause."

Emily sighs. "But that may do no good. I can't imagine Dr. Westfallen keeps much about us electronically."

"True. That thought crossed my mind, too. I didn't have the heart to point it out to the others, though."

"I don't blame you. Can I guess it's looking as hopeless down there as it is up here?"

"Yeah. We're all worried we'll leave with nothing more than a profile to show we were here."

"Shit. This guy up here has been killing for a lot of years. And what's worse, I can imagine there are bodies that were never found. Not even a piece of them to show a human was ever there. He could be the most prolific serial killer in history and that's even if the Minnesota cases don't connect to him."

JJ rubs her head. "That's not a comforting tho- -…oh shit…what if it's a protégé down here? Someone who crossed paths with the unsub and they saw something in each other. This guy learns what he can then comes south to separate his kills from his hero's."

Emily sits up. "That's so fucking warped it could be right. Would explain the change in the tools used."

"And the change from salting the parts to freezing them."

"And in talking to Scott Amaruq, the hotel owner, over dinner tonight he was saying this is not the time of year for tourists up here. The unsub could be here but there is no one to hunt. He knows if he hunts locals he'll be discovered."

"So he waits out the harshest winter months just…just biding his time until he can kill again. But why the fucking break between killing and dumping them?"

"That only shows up down in the States. Up here they are dumped soon after the last time they were seen. He does dismember them and dump the parts in the same groupings as Minnesota and in different places. But he doesn't just have two dumping sites nor does he seem to revisit the same area. There could be 2 guys, Jen."

JJ chews that over a bit. "I'm still not sure what to make of the 3 year break."

Emily shrugs. "Could just be the urge to kill isn't as strong in your killer as in mine." She thinks a second and sighs. "Or it could be there are other bodies on him, too."

"But Garcia didn't find any other like crimes."

"What if these kills are a salute to his teacher. The other kills are just for him."

JJ gasps. "Again, so fucking twisted it could be right." She glances at her watch. "Look, let me go run these theories by Hotch. It could change the way we look at things tomorrow."

"Right. I'll keep on with my search up here unchanged. But there will be lots of pretty somethings bought for the team if you all keep me out of that bush plane."

JJ laughs. "I'll make sure the boys know. I'll call you back in a bit. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Emily hangs up and says a quick prayer the Prentiss Women's brainstorm proves correct. She has just grabbed her book when there is a knock on the door. She walks over, frowning. Who the heck could it be? She looks through the peep hole and her eyes widen. She opens the door.

"Dez! What are you doing here?" she asks the Canadian analyst, who shifts nervously from foot to foot.

* * *

Hotch opens the door. "If you're an assassin sent by your wife you shouldn't knock first," he jokes.

JJ grins. "Damn. I knew I screwed something up."

He opens the door and gestures for her to come in. "Can I guess she figured out what we did?"

"Yes, she thinks there could be 2 killers, too. Here's what we were thinking."

JJ lays out the idea she and Emily had come up with. When she is done, Hotch nods.

"Very plausible. How do we prove it?"

JJ sighs. "That's the kicker. We don't know. If our unsub really is committing these murders to honor his teacher we may not know what he's doing for himself."

"It would have to be close by," Hotch states.

"Not necessarily. Baffin Island is pretty much winter year round. He may come to Minnesota once a year just to give thanks. Then maybe he goes back to another state or is even one of the highway killers. He could be anywhere the other 9 months of the year."

Hotch sighs. "We may be screwed."

JJ nods. "Yep. Chief Davis will not be happy if he finds out we muscled in here only to be wrong or, worse, to not find the unsub."

"I know. For now we don't tell him or the others about this new theory. Let's take a day or two to investigate as if the cases are linked. Unless something leaps out at us to confirm this new theory let's keep it between us and Emily."

JJ nods. "Good idea. I'm going to go call her and say goodnight. I'll see you at breakfast."

Hotch nods as JJ leaves the room. He walks over and looks out the window. Snow has started falling. He puts his hand on the window pane, feeling the cold through the glass. He sighs. It had nothing on the cold Emily was facing. He can't help but grin.

"How's it feel to know you could be assassinated by one of your own, Hotch?" he asks himself. "You better figure out a way to make it up to her if she went up there for nothing."

He goes back to the desk in the room and starts to work on an end of the year budget report due the following week. A unit chief's job is never done and never, ever just the case at hand.


	9. Chapter 9

"At this time we have requested a team from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit to come in and assist us with this investigation. Their knowledge of criminals will be vital to our finding this currently unknown subject. This is Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Jareau to answer a few of your questions."

JJ nods her thanks to Chief Davis and steps up to the podium. Reporters immediately start throwing questions at her. JJ takes the one that is most important first.

"No, we are not here to take over the investigation. The St. Paul police have done a great job of gathering evidence and trying to track down the man or woman behind these killings and dismemberments. Chief Davis asked us to come assist his detective in their ongoing investigation. The BAU specializes in killers who have distinctive methods of operation. Thankfully killers such as this one are rare and it is unusual for local police to have to concern themselves with the psychology behind such a person. We step in simply to assist the local force with our knowledge by giving them a profile of the killer and, in that way, helping them to eliminate some suspects while narrowing in on others."

"Does this mean you have a suspect?"

"At this time our team is still in the preliminary stages of the investigation. We are interviewing witnesses, family members and employers of the known victims. We ask the public to come forward if they think they have anything pertinent to the investigation. Even if it seems small, every bit of information will be appreciated. Nothing will be dismissed without further investigation."

What is the profile of this killer?"

"We are still refining the profile. When we narrow it down we will bring it to the press so the public can assist us in finding this killer or killers."

"Are you looking into similar killings in other states?"

"It is our standard procedure to look for like cases across the country. At this time we are concentrating our efforts in St Paul and White Bear Lake only."

"What can you tell us about the investigation in Minneapolis regarding Mitchell Reese?"

JJ had been prepared for this question or something similar. Being this close to one of Reese's killing fields it was inevitable. It still makes her stomach flutter though her face betrays nothing.

"We know the police in Minneapolis are working diligently to pull their case against Reese together. Our profile of Reese as well as information we discovered during our investigation into him have been turned over to the proper authorities and any questions they may have we will gladly answer. That is all can say at this time as their investigation is ongoing."

JJ answers a few more questions, keeping the attention on the current murders and not on the Reese killings. When she finally steps back, Davis steps up and reiterates the call for anyone who may have information to contact the authorities. He then thanks the reporters for their time and he and JJ leave the conference room. JJ smiles at him.

"Good job, Chief."

"You, too, Agent Jareau."

JJ just smiles and detours to the women's restroom. She splashes some cool water on her face and looks into the mirror. For the first time she answered questions about Mitchell Reese, aka Sebastian Scout, without feeling a paralyzing fear. Yes, her stomach had done a flip but she hadn't felt her blood go to ice. She hadn't had trouble taking a breath. She hadn't felt an anger tinged with terror.

"Your team beat him, Jennifer Prentiss. You beat him and he will never get out of prison. You beat that stupid ass motherfucker."

She takes a deep breath. She had felt it. She had said it. And for the first time since Lancaster, OH she actually believed. She grabs a paper towel and dries the last of the water off her face then goes out to get back to work on the case at hand.

* * *

"So he wasn't exactly a stellar worker?" Rossi pushes.

The McDonald's manager winces, clearly not liking speaking ill of the dead. "Shit. To be honest, the next time he came in he'd have been fired. I mean, I get he had issues and I admired that he was getting help for them but, well, you just can't keep losing your shit on customers. It wasn't his fault but I couldn't keep making excuses for him. We'd had too many emails and calls to corporate. I swear I tried to help him as much as I could."

Rossi nods. "I believe you. What did you think when he didn't show up for his shift?"

"I wasn't sure. I thought maybe he'd been arrested. Maybe he'd mouthed off to the wrong person and gotten beat up or…or worse. I thought it was bad. I didn't…didn't expect it to be…this."

"Can I assume it wouldn't have been the first time he was late after an altercation?"

The manager shakes his head. "You would right about that. He was getting help for his anger issues. And I had noticed a change but…but it…it just wasn't enough. Not for this job." He opens a desk drawer and pulls out a tablet. "I've had this for four years." He shrugs. "I don't know why but I just…couldn't get rid of it. I had a list of places that might be better work options for him. Less contact with the public, you know?"

Reid takes the offered tablet. "That was very kind of you. Not many would do as much to help."

"Well, fuck, Agent Reid…his mother smoked crack while she was pregnant. Who knew who his father was? He'd had a crap break in life since he was in the womb. Only his grandmother gave a damn about him. I just wanted him to know that someone else had his back. Everyone deserves a real chance. He never got his," he sighs.

Reid raises an eyebrow. "You're wrong. You gave him that chance. He knew kindness and hope thanks to you."

The man gives a small smile. "Thank you for saying that, Agent Reid."

Rossi and Reid ask a few more questions but the man has nothing more to offer. As they get out to their SUV, Rossi looks at Reid.

"You never corrected him."

"What?"

"He kept calling you agent, not doctor. Normally you correct people."

"Emily told me I need to be more…forgiving when people are grieving. It is easier said than done. Had to recite the French version of Dante's Inferno to calm myself."

Rossi starts to laugh. "You know the ladies say it all the time. Let me say it, too: Never change, Dr. Reid. Never change."

Reid just gives him a grin as they go to the next employer on their list.

* * *

Hotch and Morgan meet with the last set of parents available and make the drive up to White Bear Lake. As they drive, the snow that had abated that morning starts again. Morgan sighs.

"If this gets worse we'll have to head back sooner rather than later. I don't like the job being dictated by the weather."

"Me, neither. We could always get a hotel room for the night if we feel the need to stay up here," Hotch points out.

"I guess so. Will suck without our go bags, though." Hotch is noticeably silent. Morgan rolls his eyes. "You brought your go bag."

"Eagle Scout. Always prepared," Hotch says with a grin.

Morgan just chuckles and keeps on driving. When they reach the lake they slowly circle, stopping at each dump site to look it over. At the third site, Hotch kneels down.

"Ski tracks. This area is still popular with people."

"Strange. Other areas ended up being abandoned."

"He only dumped parts here twice," Hotch notes. "What if the dumping was to drive people away from certain areas? Maybe to drive them towards an area?"

Morgan nods. "Good thought. We haven't looked at the geography of the area." He whips out his phone. "Baby Girl, think you can work some magic for us?"

"Oh, Sugar, for you I could work a lot of things."

Morgan grins as Hotch just rolls his eyes and chuckles. "Easy, Hot Stuff," Morgan cautions. "In a lot of areas when the bodies were dumped the locals said they started avoiding those areas. Then as they started going back more parts would be found. Any chance you can check to see what might have been going on in those areas: could be business or personal."

"I will see what I can find. But unless it was something on public record I may not find anything."

"Garcia, check newspapers for anything mentioning these areas prior to the body parts showing up. Maybe someone was planning something and that plan has since either been scuttled by the bodies or been bolstered by the abandonment of the area," Hotch suggests.

Garcia's fingers dance over her keyboard. "Okay…got the searches running. I'll weed out what I can before sending the rest to you."

"Send it to JJ. She'll be working mostly in the police station in St. Paul today," Hotch tells her. "If something sends up a huge red flag call me and Morgan. Weather could end up meaning we stay up here overnight."

"Got it, sir. Hey, by the way, have any of you heard from Emily today?"

Hotch shakes his head. "We haven't. She may have called JJ," Morgan tells her.

"Ah, okay. Was surprised I didn't have an email from her this morning. I'll give her a call in a few minutes. Goddess of Light and Goodness out!"

Hotch smiles as Morgan pockets her phone. "Goddess of Light and Goodness. Strangely appropriate."

Morgan grins. "Definitely."

* * *

JJ looks up from the file she's looking over as her phone rings. "Hey, Garcia."

"Hi. How was the press conference?"

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old."

Garcia raises an eyebrow. "Jayje, I saw it. Was giving you the chance to tell me about the rat bastard question. Are you okay?"

JJ smiles. "I am, actually. It made my stomach flip but, well, it also made me realize I'm not as scared of him as I used to be. Part of that is the training with Morgan. Part of it is…well, you, Penelope Garcia."

"Me?" she repeats in surprise.

"Yes, you. You tracked him back to where he erased his life. You…you found him when for a long time I was worried we wouldn't. I was sure he could get out and disappear again but you made sure he can't. You've proven his prowess with a computer is great enough he can't have access to anything more than a word processor. You found his bank accounts, even the ones he tried to hide. You smashed him to pieces, Garcia. And then the love of my life sprung it on him. She showed him we know him better than he ever dreamed we would. He wanted to be the greatest serial killer we would never know. Instead, he's just another killer behind bars. We stopped him, Pen. He's done."

"Damn right, Jayje!" Garcia agrees proudly. "And just so you know, if there is even a blip on his personal bank accounts I will know. He's finished but for the trials."

JJ smiles. "Yes, he is. So, was that all you called about?"

"That and to find out if you'd spoken with your princess charming this morning. She was planning to send me a few case files to dig farther into but I don't have anything from her."

JJ frowns. "That's strange. When we spoke last night I thought she had sent you some and was hoping to send you more this morning. I'll give her a call since I'm just an office flunky going over case files and weeding calls from the tip line."

"Okay. Just so you know I did a thing and her phones are both safely ensconced in Iqaluit so she hasn't gone on fly-about yet."

JJ giggles. "I know. She was in the office one more day praying we get a lead. She will be flying tomorrow."

"Ah, lucky princess."

"Yeah," JJ sighs.

"Uh, JJ? Don't make me keep pressing you for more information," Garcia warns.

JJ glances around to confirm she is alone. "Pen, Emily is really freaked about small planes. She is extremely nervous about going out into the wilderness. All of it is more…she's just showing more nerves than ever. I'm worried about her."

"Ah, sweetie, she's going into the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter. There is a damn good chance she could get stranded up there due to a snowstorm. She doesn't want to be away from you and Rocky for Christmas, especially since Henry will be in New Orleans. Add in her fear of small planes and our Wonder Woman of course feels a little shaky."

JJ had only heard one part of what Garcia said.

"She could get stranded up there? For how long?"

"Oy vey," Garcia mutters. "Honey, did you even look at the weather history for that area?"

"Uh, no. I mean, just the immediate forecast which I hated and lead to a huge argument."

"An argument?"

"Forget that for now. Is it…really possible she could get stuck up there?"

"Depending on how long the investigation takes I'd say well over a 50% chance though you'd have to talk to Reid to get an exact percentage."

JJ runs a hand through her hair as the other rubs her stomach. "Shit. Okay, I'm a jerk for so many reasons. I'll give Em a call and see what she's working on and let her know the email she had planned to send to you didn't arrive."

"Okay. And if you need to talk, I'm here for you."

JJ smiles. "I know, Pen. Thank you."

"Love you, bestie."

"Love you, too, Pen." JJ signs off and immediately hits Emily's number. After just 2 rings it goes to voicemail. JJ sighs. "Hi, honey. Give me a call when you can. The files Garcia expected this morning haven't arrived and…and I just wanted to hear your voice. I love you. And don't freak: I'm okay. I just…well, Garcia pointed out to me that the weather is on your mind and I didn't think about what it meant for you maybe getting stuck up there and now I feel even worse about my attitude before you left and…shit, now I'm rambling. Call me, Em. I love you."

JJ hangs up and tosses the phone on the table. She rubs a hand over her stomach.

"So, kids, you saw my speaking ability this morning. I really am better than the message I just left for your mama would have you believe. So, just remember this morning not that babbling mess of a voicemail, okay?" She grins. "They say okay," she whispers, imagining Emily giving that answer for the twins.

JJ grabs her phone and heads to the break room to get some water and stretch her legs while she hopes for the call from Emily.

* * *

Just before they get to their last employer interview, Rossi gets a call from Garcia.

"So, I think I have a teeny tiny thread for you to figure out how to pull at the medical clinic," she tells him.

"How teeny tiny?"

"There is a woman who has seen 5 different doctors at the clinic over the past 4 years. She only visits between November and the beginning of April which would coincide with the body parts being dumped in Minnesota and the start of the files on Baffin Island which tend to show up from April to October."

"Why so many different doctors?" Reid asks.

"That is one of the threads you will want to pull."

"Do we happen to know where this woman goes the other months of the year?"

"Not yet. I can't reach my friend Dez but as soon as I do I can see what we can do to get into files up that way that will give us an answer."

"Garcia…don't wait," Rossi encourages.

"Uh, you do realize you're asking me to break like a gazillion international medical laws, right?"

"You have her name. Find her. It's on me if you get caught," Rossi orders.

Garcia giggles gleefully. "I so love when you all promise to protect me so I can have a lot of fun! I will call you when I have something for you, my liege."

Rossi hangs up and stares at the road a moment. He glances at Reid out of the corner of his eye and sees the genius looks just as baffled as the older agent feels.

"A woman? Does any of this scream woman to you?" Rossi finally asks.

"Nothing even whispers woman to me," Reid admits. "Well, except maybe the dismemberment but when you couple that with holding onto the bodies for 3 years it doesn't fit. Women dismember to make it easy to dispose of a body. This unsub dismembers certain parts at certain times and puts them on display where the public will find them and then the families will make the news, their horror, their fear, their begging stroking his ego. A man cares about that sort of thing, not a woman."

Rossi slowly nods. "True. But what if…he used to be a woman? Or is now a woman?"

"A transsexual," Reid murmurs. He scans through the information in his mind. "The dead are all men in their 20's. They are in the prime of their life but all had issues that could lead them to doubt themselves or somehow weaken them. But the killing isn't like an angel of mercy trying to keep them from suffering. If that were the case the bodies would be returned immediately."

"It's revenge. These men had what our unsub doesn't have and she is angry about it. If she is older, like we believe, a sex change would not have been a viable option for her when she was in her 20's. And she has been angry about it for so long she is no longer mentally viable for the operation. At least not from a reputable doctor."

Reid's eyes widen. "What if she went to a not so reputable doctor? That could be the reason for her possible injury that caused her to change the way she dismembers and why she comes south during the harshest winter months."

"True. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let's see if we can poke around about this patient. We could be projecting ideas on a perfectly innocent woman," Rossi points out.

"I know." Reid sighs. "There's a bad storm heading for Nunavut."

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "How bad?"

"Like maybe Emily will be home for New Years bad."

Rossi sighs. "Damn. Think Aaron knows?"

Reid shrugs. "I don't know. I saw it on TV this morning and took the time to actually look it up online. I saw enough to know it's not good. Truth is, if Emily doesn't visit the sites tomorrow and the next day she won't be flying to them at all."

Rossi bites his lip the pulls his phone out again. He hits a number. "Aaron, we need to call Emily back from Canada."

"Why? What's happened to JJ?" Hotch asks anxiously.

"Nothing. But check out the weather reports for Nunavut. If Reid's right she has a short window to get the hell out of there or she won't be home for Christmas. She may not even be back for Valentine's Day."

"Shit. Let me look into it and call her."

Rossi pockets his phone as Hotch hangs up. Reid studies the Italian.

"I said New Year's."

Rossi grins. "I know. Valentine's Day is more dangerous to Hotch. JJ will kill him if Emily misses Christmas _and_ Valentine's Day."

Reid laughs. "Good point."

Rossi just nods and drives them on to the psychiatric clinic.

* * *

Hotch doesn't reach Emily, either.

* * *

**A/N: Cue mysterious music here! :o)**


	10. Chapter 10

Garcia is trying to refine a search when her phone rings. Without looking she stabs the answer button with her pen.

"Garcia."

"A bit distracted, Pen?"

"EMILY!" she squeals. "Where have you been? Are you okay? Did you get into trouble? What are you- -"

"Whoa! Hey, Pen, easy. I worked later last night than I planned because I had an unexpected visitor."

"Santa Claus?" the wacky woman guesses.

Emily chuckles. "Noooo. An old friend of yours."

"Hey, Garcia!" Dez says.

"Dez? What are you doing in Iqaluit?"

He glances at Emily, a blush colouring his cheeks. "I, uh, just had information I really thought would be better given in person plus I will be handy if she has anything she needs searched while she is flying tomorrow."

Garcia ponders that a moment. "You are such a bad liar. What the hell is going on?"

"Dez, tell her. She'll understand. And she will also harass you until you do," Emily warns him.

Dez sighs. Garcia gets nervous. "Dez, you're not sick or something are you?"

"No. But you might think I need my head examined. See, the thing is, the way I was busted for hacking I never actually got a record, kind of like you."

"Yeah, I know."

"And so the more I helped out the agents the more I…I really liked it. And then I worked with you and learned about profilers and such and…well…"

"Holy Bat Badge! You're going to apply to the academy up there!"

"Um, already done. And going on the profiler track. The agents I work with pulled some strings to make sure I can do what I need to do and skip some of the stuff I already know."

"OOOOO! I am so happy for you, Dez! Do you get a cute little RCMP uniform like Dudley Do-Right?"

Dez laughs, his nerves dissipating. "Uh, no, I'll be on the suits side from the start. In fact, my current boss says I have a place on his team as long as I don't blow my studies."

"I am so proud of you! Why were you scared to tell me?" Garcia asks in confusion.

"You're just so happy being an analyst and always freaked when the agents call you a profiler. I just…didn't want you to…I mean you might…ah, heck, Garcia, I don't know. Maybe I was scared I'd fail and you'd look down on me."

"Oh, Sugar, you so will NOT fail! You will be the best little agent the world has ever seen!"

"Gee, thanks," Emily mutters good-naturedly.

"Oh, hush, Princess. So, can we go back to the original question: why are you in Iqaluit instead of Ottawa?"

"You told me Emily is one of the best agents you'd ever seen. I guess I just wanted to work closely with her and see what I can learn from her. Silly, right?"

"I don't think so," Emily interjects. "I learned a lot by watching other agents. I soon leaned the agent I wanted to be and I learned from other agents what I didn't want to be."

"Well, you pay attention to Emily, Dez. She'll show you lots of things."

"Thanks, Garcia."

"So, Garcia, it seems like you have been missing me. Why?" Emily asks, turning the conversation back to business.

"I was expecting an email but it never arrived. Then we couldn't reach you earlier. We got worried."

"We? As in you and Jen?"

"Yep."

"Shit. I sort of left my phone at the hotel this morning. I was going to get it at lunch," she admits in embarrassment.

"Ah. JJ's gonna kick your butt."

Emily laughs. "Maybe. Now, as to the email…" she types some. "Well, shit. It didn't go through and didn't bounce back until I refreshed just now. Dez, any ideas?"

Dez slides over and takes a look. "It's not a big file. I guess just try again."

Emily does and waits. A few seconds later Garcia sees the email pop up on her screen. "Prefect! Got it this time. I'll get working on pulling more info and get it to the others."

"Great."

"And, Dez, I have someone I need you to search. Her name is Pamela Cutler. The past 4 years she has wintered in St. Paul but I can't find her anywhere in U.S. databases. I need to know, legally, if she is Canadian."

Dez starts to type. "On it. I'll get everything I can for you."

"Good. And, Emily, go get your phone."

"Aw, Pen, but it is so damn cold outside!" she whines.

"And how cold do you think your marital bed will be if you _don't_ go get it?" Garcia points out.

Emily groans. "Fine. I'll go get it. But if I freeze to death it is all on you, Penelope Garcia."

"Wimp," Garcia teases.

"Whatever. North Pole out," Emily says and hangs up, handing Dez back his phone. "I need to go get my phone.

* * *

JJ grabs her phone as it rings. "Emily! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I forgot my phone this morning. I talked to Pen earlier and she told me you were worried about me. I'm sorry, Jen."

JJ lets out a relieved breath. "I am so glad you're okay."

"Jen, what's going on with you?"

JJ bites her lip. "Emily, I was such a jerk before you left. I made it all about me and my feelings. I never…never considered all it meant for you to go up there."

Emily sighs. "You saw the weather report."

"Yes, I did."

"I swear, Jen, I will do my best to get home to you as quickly as possible. I will try so hard to not miss Christmas. I know you'll need me there more than ever."

JJ feels tears well in her eyes. "Always worried about me and never yourself."

"Jen, you are pregnant. Our son will be with his father. Our daughter will be enjoying the first Christmas she'll kind of understand. I know you need me there to get you through all the emotions that day will encompass."

"And what about you? You could miss Rocky's first real Christmas. Don't tell me that won't tear you up."

"It will. But, Jen, I have promised to be with you step by step through your whole pregnancy. I keep finding new ways to fail you."

"Oh, sweetheart, you aren't failing me if you don't get home because of the weather." JJ straightens up, wiping the tear that had slipped down her cheek. "In fact, we have 2 weeks to get you home. I refuse to think it won't happen. There will be a window for you to charter a plane and get out of there." Pause. "Right?"

Emily sighs. "I don't know. Right now…right now I'm just concentrating on the case. Just concentrating on one step at a time to get this wrapped up so home is a possibility."

"Then I will do the same. I'll light a fire under the guys butts' and make sure they don't slack off."

Emily smiles. "I feel bad for the guys. Well, I need to head back over to the police station. I have a few more files to check then I'm meeting with my pilot to discuss our flight plans for the next 2 days. Uh, Jen, I just found out we'll fly out tomorrow, stay in a cabin out near Lancaster Sound before working our way back the next day. It just makes more sense than flying back."

"Oh." JJ shivers. "You will understand if I say nothing about that sounds good to me, right?"

Emily smiles. "I do. But it just gave me a thought: I bet our unsub has a pilot's license. How else would he or she access all these dump sites?"

"Good point. They could even just toss the parts out of the plane."

"Yep."

"I'll get Garcia working on that."

"I'll have Dez work it, too. So, I better get back. Jen, I love you so much. I'm sorry my silly fears are giving you any added stress."

"It's okay, Em. I just worry about you because…because…shit, never mind."

"Because why?"

"Em, no one made you see a Bureau shrink after the last couple of cases. I'm not even sure Hotch has caught it."

"I see Westfallen," Emily protests.

"I know. And I thank God you do. But you know as well as I do the FBI shrinks will ask questions that she won't think to ask. And even if you don't answer them it gives you something to consider and bring up with Westfallen."

"Yeah, I guess."

"When you get back, whenever that is, I want to ask Hotch to send you to a Bureau psychiatrist. Please. Your mental state is worrying me."

"Then I'll do it, Jen. For both of us. Maybe…I mean, I _have_ been weirdly fatalistic this trip. Tell Hotch I won't fight him on it. I'll do it for you, baby."

"Do it for us, Emily. You, me and our children."

Emily smiles. "I will, beautiful. I will. Strangely, I feel more settled now than I have this whole trip."

"Good. Now, go get to work, Agent Prentiss. You're not up there to work on your tan."

Emily starts to laugh. "Good thing since I don't have any skin exposed when I'm outside."

JJ laughs. "I love you, Em. Talk to you later."

"I love you, too. See you, Jen."

Emily hangs up and takes a deep breath. She looks over at Bear- Bear. "I'm going to be okay, big guy. Promise." She picks him up. "But just in case, I'm leaving you behind. That way if…if something happens…you'll get back to Henry, okay?" She makes the bear nod, then laughs at herself. "You're a twit, Prentiss."

She sets him back on the bed, bundles up in her many layers and makes her way back to the police station, praying for the break they need to keep her from going out tomorrow.


	11. Chapter 11

Hotch extends his hand to Detective Seth Ties. "Aaron Hotchner. This is Derek Morgan."

"Good to meet you. I hope to hell you can help me get a handle on this guy."

"We'll do our best," Morgan vows. "I have a question for you: was there any sort of development that was to happen in the areas where the parts were found? Maybe that fell through after people got uneasy with the area? Or the opposite way, maybe nothing was happening and suddenly a developer was able to get land cheaply in the aftermath?"

Ties frowns. "Is that what these killings are about? Land?"

Morgan shrugs. "We don't know. But it's just one avenue we like to check."

Ties shakes his head. "There was nothing that I knew of. You might want to talk to Mabel in the mayor's office. She's the city planner and any permits for development would be filed through her."

Morgan nods. "I'll talk to her."

"Is there anyone you all were looking closely at for these killings?" Hotch asks.

Ties shakes his head again. "No. It's all so…macabre. Truth is, my boss and I are hoping it's some bastard in St. Paul because we'd hate to think someone like that is in this area."

Hotch grins. "Don't blame you for that. We toured the dump sites. They look like they are still popular with skiers. What about others?"

"The skiers like to go around the lake because it's pretty flat ground. The county area for ice skating has not been used by the killer."

"Can I assume it's always in use?"

"Pretty much. It's rare that there's no one there," Ties confirms.

"So the unsub knows to avoid it lest he be seen and reported," Hotch states. "Is there anything about the sites where parts were found that we don't know from your reports?"

Ties shakes his head. "They are pretty unremarkable areas. The parts would be found eventually no matter what. A few were found when scavengers ripped into the bags but most were found by people who just, you know, assumed something was off because they had seen reports of other dumpings."

"That's what I thought. The bodies had been frozen prior to dismembering. Where would the unsub store them?"

"There are still a lot of people in this area with underground ice houses. Others have multiple freezers to keep meat from hunting. Hell, a buddy of mine had an underground freezer installed. Looks like a storm shelter."

Morgan raises an eyebrow. "Large enough to store multiple bodies?"

"Uh, yeah. But it's not him."

Morgan grins. "I believe you. But maybe they installed one 4 years ago for our unsub."

Ties raises an eyebrow. "Damn. Never thought of that."

"It's a long shot but may as well check it out. What's the name of the company and where is it?"

Ties tells him and Morgan looks at Hotch. "Want to go with me?"

"Go on and talk to them. I'll start looking through full files here. If you get a solid lead come pick me up."

Morgan nods and leaves. Hotch looks at Ties. "So, where are the case files."

"Right this way."

* * *

Rossi fights down the urge to yell. "I understand you can't tell us what she was treated for. I understand you can't tell us if she was on medicine. All I need to know is does she live part of the year in Canada? In particular somewhere on Baffin Island in Nunavut," he explains to the receptionist for the clinic.

She studies him carefully, trying to decide if what she tells him could be considered privileged.

"Fine."

She starts to type. As she gets the women's file open she can't help but read the reason for treatment. She sneers.

"Deviant Godless disgrace of a human," she mutters under her breath.

"I'm sorry, did you say something to me?" Rossi asks, knowing she hadn't.

"No! Okay, all I have for her is a P.O. Box here in St. Paul. Nothing in here about Canada."

"Damn. I was sure we'd be able to get her off the streets," Rossi mumbles, hoping whatever had the woman disgusted about Pamela Cutler will make her spill a little extra information.

The woman studies Rossi then pulls out a note pad. "You can get her off the streets?"

"I sure hope so," Rossi says. "But we keep hitting brick walls with her medical records. If only we knew enough to find more out," he says regretfully.

The woman tears off the piece of paper and hands it to him. "This is unofficial and I will deny giving it to you in court."

"Giving me what?" he asks as he winks and slips it in his pocket.

She smiles and nods as Rossi and Reid leave. In the elevator Rossi pulls out the piece of paper, reads it, then hands it to the doctor. Reid sighs.

"She is angry because she is transsexual and nothing can be done for her. I'm not sure I'm happy about us being right or not."

"Let's get out of here and give Emily a call. Maybe she can look into Pamela Cutler up there. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll be from Iqaluit and Emily will find people that know her."

"Hopefully," Reid says as he pulls out his phone. "And it would keep Emily from having to fly out into the wilderness, too."

"Yep. And that will be good for her and her wife, both."

"Definitely." He pauses. "Hey, Em, we have a name for you to look into. Pamela Cutler." He listens and grins. "Ah, Garcia beat us to you. Well, here is what Garcia doesn't know. Pamela sees a psychiatrist because she is struggling with her transexuality. From the brief note we were unofficially given, she is mad she cannot have the surgery to transition from female to male." He listens and nods. "Good. Well, good luck tomorrow then. Wish we could have kept you grounded. Be safe." He chuckles. "I'm the safest one on the team. Really." He laughs and hangs up.

"She had the name?"

"Yep. Garcia called to get Dez looking for her up there. So far he can't find her anywhere."

"What if she lives as a man up there?" Rossi suggests.

Reid raises an eyebrow. "Good thought! But here she has to live as a woman for her medical benefits." He pulls out his phone and calls Emily back with that idea. When he hangs up he sighs. "Dez will look for a man named Cutler. Cross your fingers they find something."

Rossi nods, hoping Emily's plane exploration will prove unnecessary.

* * *

Dez checks all the databases and finally finds a report of an American ex-patriot living a remote lifestyle just outside of Auyuittuq National Park. For a few years he had led guided hunts in the area but finally just turned to a hermit-like lifestyle. The man's name was Paul Cutler. After getting with Garcia they determine that Paul and Pamela are probably one and the same.

"Do we have coordinates of where his house is?" Garcia asks.

"Not here," Dez answers. "Let me check with some of the outfitters up here. Someone may know. Heck, Sara may know since she supposedly knows the whole island really well."

Garcia nods. "Okay. I'll keep checking for anything down here that can help."

"Sounds good."

Dez gets up and heads to the conference room where Emily and Sara are mapping out their routes for the next two days. Emily immediately sees he is excited.

"Please tell me I don't have to go," she begs.

"Sorry. But at least now maybe you'll have a better destination." He tells them about Paul Cutler. "I'm checking with local outfitters to see if they know him. Sara, he lives outside the national park. Any chance you know him?"

Sara shakes her head. "Never heard of him. Might have seen his cabin but who knows?"

"Alright let me talk to the outfitters. I'll get back with you as soon as I have something."

Sara nods. "Okay. And I'll call Dad, too. Maybe even Scott. Could be a hunter stayed with my brother before hunting with Cutler."

Emily nods. "Do it. Anything that can help us maximize our search time would be beneficial." She sighs. "If we're not back in 3 days I'm up here a while, aren't I?"

Sara nods sadly. "Most likely. If that storm hits the way they are predicting it will be at least a week before you get out of here, case solved or not. And if another follows it, which is likely this time of year, well, you can spend Christmas with my family."

Emily pops her neck. "Okay…so…make the calls. I'll…keep mapping the points of interest."

Sara nods, hating the sad look in Emily's eyes. She walks out to track down her dad and then call her brother. Once alone Emily can't resist: she pulls out her phone and checks the weather forecast. The storm was still on path to hit the southern tip of Baffin Island.

"Son of a bitch, she mutters.

She tosses the phone on the table as if to punish it for the weather and gets back to the map in front of her.

* * *

"Okay, listen up, my Avengers: Pamela Cutler grew up in a time when not only was it uber-bad to be gay, it was unheard of to be transsexual. As a teenager she was sent to 'special school' to help her be more a lady."

"Special school?" JJ questions.

"It was a way of saying she was sent to a mental health facility to try to cure her of her quote-unquote unnatural urges," Garcia explains.

"Gee. Nice," JJ mutters, her hand rubbing over her stomach.

"Gets worse. The special treatment included shock treatment. When she was finally released at age 21 she was angry with the world. From what I can tell, she left Minneapolis for the White Bear Lake area where she proceeded to live like a man until someone showed up and ruined the fantasy for her."

"Who showed up?" Hotch asks.

"The reverend from her parent's church got transferred up there. Soon everyone who had been friendly with Paul Cutler wanted nothing to do with him. He disappears but his land is still there and the taxes have always been paid on it."

"So he could still live here!" Morgan states.

"I would think so," Garcia agrees. "Now, fast forward about 10 years and a man named Paul Cutler starts to lead guided hunts for caribou, wolf and anything else that could legally be hunted on Baffin Island. Though he never became a citizen of Canada, probably because Pamela, not Paul, had a birth certificate, no one really pushed him about it. He followed the laws, paid taxes but for the most part just kept to himself. Dez was finally able to find out he stopped leading hunts when the gun laws became so difficult for out-of-country hunters. He just didn't want the headache."

"So why is he coming back to the States as Pamela Cutler?" Hotch asks.

"That I can't tell you. But in Canada there is no sign Paul ever saw a doctor for anything worse than stitches."

"So then why the killing?" JJ asks.

"Reid and I had a theory that seems to pan out considering the reason she sees a doctor," Rossi chimes in. "The victims are all young men, virile, able to live their lives as they please. Some have self-imposed obstacles in their lives, others have created their own problems. She hates that they are taking for granted or being cheated out of living a way she covets."

"That sounds scarily probable," Emily chimes in over the speaker. "Morgan, any sign she bought one of those in-ground freezers?"

"No Cutler's on the list. Garcia, send me her address and we'll check it out to see if she has an old-time ice cave."

"Already in your inbox, my Ice King."

Morgan grins. "Of course it is. How could I doubt you?"

"I have no idea," she purrs.

"Okay, so here's the plan," Hotch starts. "Tomorrow morning Morgan and I will go see if Cutler is home. If not we'll poke around a bit to see if she has a freezer or ice cave. Reid, Rossi and JJ try to find people who knew Cutler. We need to know everything we can about her childhood and what could have driven her to this as an adult."

"You mean the 'special school' and its shock treatments aren't enough," JJ gripes.

Hotch ignores the comment, knowing all of them are disgusted by the way a confused, scared young woman was treated.

"Prentiss, send your flight plan to me and Garcia."

"And to my wife?"

Hotch grins as the others chuckle. "Yes, her, too. When will you stop at Cutler's place?"

"Based on the route we are taking we'll get to it on the way back here on Saturday."

"Good. As soon as you know anything let us know."

"Signal permitting you'll know what I know when I know it," she promises.

"Alright. Everyone call it a day. Because of the snowstorm Morgan and I are going to stay at a motel up here tonight so we can get going as soon as possible in the morning. Any questions?"

"Are you absolutely sure you need me to fly tomorrow? I mean, I'll be happy to wait until Saturday," Emily offers hopefully.

Hotch sighs. He and Emily had spoken for a while earlier and he knew this question was coming. They had decided to have her ask it since the whole team was antsy about her going knowing a storm was on its way towards her.

"I'm afraid so, Prentiss. We need to confirm or eliminate her as a suspect as soon as possible."

"Okay. But if Bear-Bear isn't enough to keep me warm it's all your fault."

Everyone, even Hotch, laughs.

"Understood. Get some rest tonight. All of you."

Each member disconnects their line. In the office they are using, Morgan looks at Hotch.

"You planned that question, didn't you?"

Hotch grins. "Yes. She and I talked. We know the situation up there and we know everyone was hoping to keep her closer to the airport so she could get home before a bad storm hits. Truth is, Morgan, it's not looking good to get her home in less than a week."

"Shit," Morgan mutters, running a hand over his head. "And Christmas?"

"Cross your fingers there is a break after this storm passes."

"Crossed and prayers being said," Morgan confirms. "Now, let's get to Walmart. Not all of us were Eagle Scouts."

Hotch grins. "Yeah, I guess you need some shampoo and mousse for your luxurious locks."

Morgan stops from packing up his computer and glares at his boss. "Every once in a while you remind me there is a smart ass being strangled by that tie."

Hotch chuckles and soon the two agents are heading out.

* * *

Emily drops onto the bed as her personal phone rings. "Hey, baby."

"Hi. All packed for your overnight jaunt?"

"Yeah."

JJ sighs. "Emily, stop feeling so fatalistic. You will make me worry and worrying will give the nesters wrinkles. Your mother will be appalled."

Emily chuckles. "Right. How silly of me not to consider the Ambassador's embarrassment if you give birth to 90 year olds."

"Exactly. Now, that said, everything set with your pilot?"

"Yeah, she and I mapped out where we need to go and even alternative landing spots if the original ones we chose aren't possible."

Emily waits for a comment but there is silence. She holds her phone away and checks that she still has a signal.

"Jen?"

There is a frustrated sigh. "I'm here. I'm an ass but I'm here."

"An ass? What are you talking about?"

"Your pilot is a woman."

"Oh for fuck's sake, Jen," Emily groans.

"I know! Just…let me explain. You said 'she' and the ugly, green-eyed monster that lives within my raging hormones reared its ugly head. I immediately pictured a bombshell who is of course completely irresistible. And then the angel that beats the green-eyed monster into submission showed up and reminded me that you love me and wouldn't cheat on me. And she also reminded me that I want you to have the best, most experienced, most trusted pilot available. And then the devil said what if you get stranded and have to share a sleeping bag and she is gorgeous? And then the angel smacked the devil upside the head and- -"

Emily is in tears she is laughing so hard. "Jen, baby, please stop. Your angel and devil are killing me!"

JJ grins. "Yeah, well, at least one of us is amused. Those two will be battling in my head all night long."

"Well, if it makes you feel a little better Sara is the daughter of the detective I am working with. She is happily married with 2 dogs and a cat."

"Honey, I trust you." Pause. "But it makes me feel a little better."

Emily chuckles. "Good. Now…I know you want me to stop being all doomy and gloomy but I need you to know I'm leaving Bear-Bear in the hotel. Just in case."

"Em, Henry wanted you to have that to keep- -"

"And I want it here in case the worst happens. He'll need Bear-Bear back. Please give me that small peace of mind."

"Okay. Thank you, honey, for caring so much about him."

"I love him so much, Jen. I have to admit, it was hard saying goodnight to him and Rocky tonight. I have just been…so…unsettled this trip. And I did some thinking today. You are right: there are things about the last couple of cases I haven't dealt with. Maybe a Bureau shrink will help me identify those things so I can really hash it out with Dr. Westfallen."

"Good, Emily. I just want you to be okay, mentally and physically. I'm worried about you."

"I know. I guess…I'm worried about me, too. This…fear I can't let go of isn't like me. I don't like it at all." Emily takes a deep breath. "On the bright side the terror I will have tomorrow in that tiny plane will make this fear seem like nothing."

JJ chuckles. "Not exactly comforting to me but if it works for you that's good."

Emily glances at the clock. "Well, I hate to do this but I need to get some sleep. I'll have the satellite phone but will only have it on if it is in use. If I don't need to contact you all sooner I'll call you when we set down tomorrow afternoon for the evening."

"What time do you take off?"

"We're aiming for 8 a.m., weather permitting. Basically that means as long as there aren't winds that will slam us right back down into the ground. Any wonder why I'm scared of the damn plane?"

"I have to believe it will all be okay. Sara will know if it is safe or not. I trust that. And I have two little babies that will want to know their mama so I have to have faith that you will be back to us safely."

Emily smiles. "When you say it like that how can I doubt it?"

"Exactly. Now, you get plenty of sleep, my Arctic Explorer. Figure out how our unsub hunts up there."

"I will. Out of curiosity does Hotch know how close he came to death if it had turned out this trip had been pointless?"

JJ laughs. "Yes, he knows. Uh, Em, do you have your pain meds? For headaches?"

"Yes, I do, Jen. And, yes, I have packed them for tomorrow. I promise I am doing all I need to do to stay healthy."

"Good. I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too. I'll talk to you tomorrow night."

"I'll be counting the minutes. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, baby."

Emily sighs as she hangs up the phone. She plugs it in so when she gets back to the hotel on Saturday it will have enough of a charge to call her kids and her wife. She stands and double checks her duffel bag and her equipment case. She is as ready as she can be for a day and night away from the hotel. She adds a book to her duffel, figuring she may have time to read if they land earlier than expected. She knows Sara will not risk trying to fly back towards Iqaluit just because they are ahead of schedule. The pilot had stressed several times that they couldn't stray far from the flight plan as it would be dangerous if they got into trouble.

"Trouble," Emily mutters as she sits back down on the bed. "There will be no trouble, Prentiss. It's just not allowed. Go to sleep, do your job, and come back to Bear-Bear," she orders herself.

And yet it is still nearly 3 hours before she finally falls asleep.

* * *

Pamela Cutler watches the late news on Thursday night. She stiffens in her seat when she sees highlights from the press conference JJ had given.

"Well, well, well…locals finally let the FBI in. Was wondering when that would happen," she says proudly. "Looks like I'm really somebody now."

She listens some more and sighs.

"They might get lucky; they might not. What do you think, Reverend?"

She glances over at the mummified remains of the man that had made her childhood a living hell then showed up to ruin the life she had been making for herself in White Bear. Though just a stones throw from St. Paul these days, when she was young it had seemed so far away. Maybe if she had gone farther away things would have been different. Maybe she could have continued to live as Paul here in Minnesota and not have had to run off to Canada to lose herself in the wilds of what is now Nunavut. She turns back to the TV.

"She's pretty. Seems smart. Yes, there's something in her eyes that tells me smart. If the others are like her my time here may be over for this season." She shivers. "I hate the thought of going back to that cabin in Nunavut as cold as it is up there. My joints just can't take that bitter, bitter cold." She sighs. "I guess I could go south. Or maybe east or west. Find a place to lay low for a while." She stands. "Either way: time to start getting ready to leave this house. It's a shame really, Reverend. It was always so nice to visit with you and chat during the cold months."

She goes upstairs to start packing the few belongings she carries with her when she travels back to America.


	12. Chapter 12

Rossi and Reid show their badges to the current minister at Pamela Cutler's childhood church. Father Bruce Prolia leads them to his office. The man gestures to the chairs in front of his desk as they walk in.

"Would you all like some coffee or tea? Water? Anything?" he offers.

Rossi shakes his head. "No, thank you. We're actually here about a parishioner who predates your time here. We're hoping maybe you can tell us who might know her."

"I can try. How long ago are we talking?"

"She left when she was 18. That was 40 years ago."

"Whoa!" the minister's eyes widen. "I thought you were talking 5 or 10 years. You will definitely be looking for some of my older congregants."

"Definitely," Reid agrees. "The woman we are looking for is named Pamela Cutler. She is- -"

"Cutler? Millie's daughter?"

Rossi's eyes narrow. "Millie? You mean her mother still goes to church here?"

"Yes, of course she does. Well, she has trouble in the winter due to rheumatoid arthritis but weather permitting I take her communion each week when she can't get to the Sunday service." He sighs. "She's a very faithful woman but she feels a lot of guilt for driving her daughter away."

"Did she tell you why?"

Prolia shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm not…sure I feel…this feels like it might be sacred between a minister and his parishioner."

"I understand," Rossi says sympathetically. "But we think Pamela is in trouble and we need to know as much as we can about her. Lives depend on it."

Prolia considers this a moment then sighs. "Back then her daughter was considered 'confused'. Nowadays we would recognize that Pamela was struggling with her sexual identity and she could get help to understand herself and be just fine. Unfortunately, an 18 year old girl 40 years ago was under the thumb of her parents until she married. Millie was a widow so she worked a lot. She heard the whispers that Pamela's homosexuality was a result of not having her mother around. She asked the priest for help. They tried prayer, a second baptism, and from the sounds of it a crude exorcism. When that didn't work he mentioned a place that could help her with medicines and certain procedures. She's damn lucky they just used electro-shock, not a lobotomy."

Reid nods. "A common practice at the time."

"Exactly. When Pamela got out of that place she ran away. Millie hasn't seen her since. Doesn't even know what happened to her little girl."

Rossi is surprised. "So, in 40 years, Pamela has never made contact?"

"No. Truth is, considering how young she was when she left she could be…well, let's face it: a young girl, no skills, no money…wouldn't be far-fetched to believe she may have passed on."

Reid sits forward. "We have reason to believe Pamela is alive. In fact, she may be in the area."

Prolia straightens up, his face shocked. "Really? Millie will be…she'll…can she see Pamela?"

"We don't know," Reid answers honestly. "Does Millie still live where she did when Pamela was a child?"

"Uh, no. Back then they had an…I believe Millie said an in-laws cottage somewhere. Millie is now in an assisted living complex that specializes in more mobile tenants. Not assisted living so much as knowing your neighbors aren't twenty-something's blasting loud music," he explains.

"Were any of the other parishioners here when Pamela was going through her rough teenage years?"

Prolia thinks a moment. "Maybe. Let me see…"

He gets onto his computer and pulls up the most recent list of church members. As it prints out, he sits back in his seat.

"Agents, can I ask…should I tell Millie about Pamela?"

Rossi slowly shakes his head. "I would suggest holding onto the information for the moment."

Prolia picks the papers up off the printer and starts to put check marks beside the names of the older parishioners. "Saw the news last night. A rather pretty woman speaking on behalf of the FBI regarding the murders at two lakes." He leaves the question unasked.

Rossi accepts the papers that are handed over. "We'll be in touch if we feel the need to speak with Mrs. Cutler. She may need your support."

Prolia stands and offers his hands to both agents. "I'll be there. Good luck, Agents."

* * *

"Agent Jareau?"

JJ looks up as a young officer steps into the conference room. "Yes?"

"Ma'am, Detective Smith asked me to track you down. There's been more body parts found and they are strange."

JJ frowns. "Strange? Strange how?"

"I don't know, ma'am. He just said they are strange. He'd like for me to give you a ride out to take a look at them."

JJ sighs and stands. "Okay. Let me let Hotch and Rossi know where I'll be."

The officer nods as JJ calls first Hotch then Rossi to let them know about the new body parts. Both are eager to hear what makes these parts different than the others. JJ grabs a camera and her tablet so she can make notes on anything she sees.

"Okay, Officer, lead the way."

The young man nods and leads JJ out to his cruiser. Less than 15 minutes later they are pulling up outside a scene cordoned off with crime scene tape. JJ recognizes this area as being the first one she and Morgan had checked out after Reid cracked his head. She notes that in her tablet before getting out into the bitter cold.

"_Still warmer than where Emily is_," she reminds herself as she hunches up against the wind.

She sees Smith and makes his way over to him. He sees her and gestures to the man beside him.

"Agent Jareau, this is our M.E. Dr. Drew Ingram. Doc, tell her what you are seeing here."

"Agent Jareau, the parts are a couple years old."

JJ frowns. "A couple years old? But…that doesn't make sense."

"From what I can tell, and obviously I will need to confirm this back at the lab, the parts were frozen like the others but they have been frozen I'd say 2-3 years, not just a few days."

JJ opens her mouth but realizes she has no good question to ask. She turns towards the parts, not sitting on a yellow tarp. She steps towards them and squats down, studying where they had been disarticulated from the body. She can see the signs of deep freeze and the graying that happens over time.

"Son of a bitch," she mutters. She stares at them a second longer, an idea forming in her head. She finally stands and looks at Smith and Ingram. "We thought there could be other bodies somewhere else. Detective Smith, he has other bodies here, in this area. We just don't know them yet."

Smith sighs. "I was afraid you'd say that. So then why dump a couple of fresh sets of remains then dump an old set."

"He's cleaning house. He knows we are here and may be worried we could help you all track him down." She gestures to the parts. "He wants to clean up and get the hell out of here for a new hunting ground."

"How new?"

JJ shrugs. "Maybe another state, maybe back in Canada, or maybe even just up to White Bear Lake. Something being done this time has spooked the unsub. I think we can expect to find more parts soon."

Ingram rolls his neck and pops it. "My people will be ready. But you'll forgive me if I hope you're wrong, Agent Jareau."

JJ nods. "Forgiven."

She steps away and pulls out her phone to let Hotch know what's happening and how it could change the urgency of their investigation.

* * *

Hotch and Morgan walk back to their SUV after speaking with the current owner of the home Pamela Cutler used to rent. It is also the one on her official forms with the psychiatric clinic even though her mailing address is a PO Box. They sit in the SUV a moment.

"They never even met her. Didn't even know she's been using their address," Morgan says.

"You believe that?" Hotch questions.

Morgan slowly nods. "Yeah, I do. Why lie?"

"Why indeed. Sadly I believe them, too, which means we're missing something. She has to have a place she knows and is comfortable in; a place she knows won't be disturbed when she is gone."

Morgan pulls up the list of places with large freezers or ice caves Garcia had found for them. He reads it over.

"If it's here, and we know that's a big if, one of these people is somehow connected to her."

Hotch nods. "I agree." He pulls out his phone. "Garcia, have you finished doing backgrounds on the homes where a large freezer or ice cave was installed in the last 5 years?"

"Still running, sir. If any little alert tickles my eardrums I will call you before the reverberations stop," she promises.

He smiles. "Thanks, Garcia." He hangs up and sighs. Before he can suggest a drive by of some of the addresses his phone ring. "Hotchner."

"Hotch, it's Seth Ties. We have two new sets of parts dumped at the lake."

Hotch runs a hand through his hair. "Son of a bitch."

"Yeah, and one set is old. The coroner assistant on scene thinks a couple years old."

Hotch ignores the call waiting signal as he shakes his head at the news. "That's not good. That means the unsub not only had other bodies on his hands but he is now cleaning house for some reason."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because we are here. He had to have seen JJ's press conference and fears the extra help could give you and Smith the info you need to find them. The fact that there are two sets dumped here makes me think this is where we need to focus our search for the unsub. Morgan and I are about 10 minutes away. Let us see the scenes as undisturbed as possible. Maybe something will jump out at us."

"Will do. See you soon."

Hotch hangs up and sees Morgan a few feet away on his phone. Morgan glances over his shoulder and sees Hotch is off the phone.

"Hang on a second, Jayje, and let Hotch hear this." He puts his phone on speaker. "Go on."

"Hotch, the parts dumped here are 2-3 years old at first look. The M.E. will have to confirm it but from what I saw he's right."

"That matches one set here," Hotch notes.

"Here?" Morgan asks.

Hotch fills the other two in on the call from Ties. "We're going to go check things out at the lake. JJ, get with Garcia and get anything she has. Help her get through it. Concentrate on the White Bear Lake area."

"Will do."

"And call Rossi. If things start to heat up this way we'll need you up here soon."

JJ smiles. "If it heats up at all I'll be there whether you need us or not."

Hotch and Morgan laugh as they sign off. They climb in their SUV and drive off to the lake to look at the dump sites and the parts of these bodies.

* * *

Sara Amaruq walks up to Emily, smiling. "Good news and bad news. Good news: the winds have eased enough we've been cleared to fly."

Emily's stomach trips. "Ugh. If that's good news what the hell is the bad news."

"Winds will still be a bit shifty," Sara replies…as she hands Emily several air sick bags.

Emily groans and takes them. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I promise, Emily, I've flown in these conditions before and if I didn't feel safe taking off I wouldn't."

Emily nods. "Yeah, I know. I just…shit. Okay, Prentiss, suck it up and get the job done," Emily coaches herself.

Sara just grins and grabs her bag for the journey. She also grabs the case holding the satellite phone and its charger. Emily grabs her own backpack and her briefcase, which has notepads, extra disks for her camera, and a high definition digital camera. Each area they stop will get its own disk to make it easy for investigators to look closer at each potential dumping ground.

"Okay, I think I'm ready," Emily says.

Sara just nods and leads them out to the Piper Super Cub she flies. Emily notes the big tundra tires.

"Bet you can't get those at Sears," she notes.

Sara chuckles. "Nope, I dare say you can't. These are the safest tires for winter. Promise. In the summer I downsize to normal tires."

"Summer? Isn't it a pain to change the tires for just a week?"

Sara outright laughs. "You're a smartass. I love it. I've pulled the back seats out so we can stow our gear and the safety equipment Dad insists on. I think he's worried about pissing off your country if he loses you somehow."

Emily grins. "My country would have nothing on my wife. He'd be wiser to be scared of her."

Sara nods, grinning. "Noted. So, let's get things stowed, do a safety check and get going."

"Sure," Emily says nervously. "Can't wait."

Thirty minutes later Emily grips an air sick bag tightly in her hand as the plane takes off. The quick ascent does nothing to settle her stomach, nor does the immediate jolt from a large wind burst. She squeezes her eyes closed.

"Oh, fuck," she mutters. "Hotch is a dead man. Such a fucking dead man."

Sara just grins, controlling the plane much the way Emily would control a car. Her skill and experience shine through as they climb. After a few minutes the plane levels out.

"Emily?"

"What?"

"You can take your hand off my thigh now."

Emily opens her eyes and sees she has indeed reached over and gripped Sara's thigh as if it will protect her. She pulls her hand away.

"Uh. Sorry."

"No problem. You're not the first to grab me. Doubt you'll be the last. I'll keep us stable as possible. Relax a bit. We have an hour before we get to the first landing area."

Emily nods wondering just how the hell she was going to relax as the plane still seemed to be bouncing around like a rogue ping-pong ball.

"Maybe Santa will give me a lift home," she mumbles as she closes her eyes, not even able to enjoy the view out the window of the arctic expanse.

* * *

JJ is pacing while Garcia, on speaker phone, inputs new information to try to narrow her searches down.

"We have to be missing something."

"Jayje, what if it isn't her? I mean, what if…if…shit are we wrong to be looking at her?"

JJ leans back against the conference table, studying the profile on the white board. "No, it's her, Garcia. I just…feel it. She had all the reasons in the world to hate men who were able to live the life that was denied her. She didn't have the right to kill them but I can see why she felt the need to. Just another version of Eileen Wuornos."

Garcia sighs. "Yeah, I guess so."

JJ starts to study the part of her life where Pamela Cutler finally lost all control. She frowns.

"Garcia? What happened to the priest that outed her in White Bear Lake?"

"Ooo! Good question!" Garcia starts to type. "According to this he…huh…he still lives in that area but shows no income for the last 5 years."

"No death certificate?"

"No."

"Does his address match one on the list Morgan and Hotch are running down?"

Garcia types and hooks the searches together. "YATZEE! Yes! A subterranean freezer was installed at his house. It even had an extra generator to ensure it never loses power."

JJ nods. "And I bet if you check state data bases you won't find a hunting license for the priest."

Garcia types. "Let's say I accidentally access that info and you…are…correct. Never had one as far as I can tell."

"So why a freezer like that?"

"He likes really cold beer during football games?" Garcia supplies.

JJ grins. "Doubtful. More like he is a resident of that freezer and Pamela Cutler is the one that installed it."

"Ew. Must you ruin my nice fantasies? I mean, really, would it kill you to just _once_ pretend my nice answer could be the one you're looking for?" Garcia whines.

JJ laughs. "Sorry, Pen. I need to call Hotch and Morgan. They need to check out that address."

"Right." Garcia tells JJ which address it is and signs off.

JJ quickly dials Hotch's number. "Hotch, are you still at the lake?"

"Yes. We have another 5 minutes here I would guess."

"Well when you're done you need to pay a visit to the priest that convinced Cutler's mother to send her to that asylum." She gives him a run down of what she and Garcia had found.

"Good job, JJ. We'll head there next. Go ahead and call Rossi and Reid. Have them ready to head up this way. For now stay in St. Paul and appease the chief. He may not like that the take down is happening outside of his purview if it proves to be the right house."

"Got it. When I talked to the guys earlier they were planning on being back here any moment. I'll call them and tell them to bring lunch."

Hotch grins. "Good idea. We'll be in touch."

"Be careful, Hotch. You have similar looks to the men she's killed."

"I'll stay behind Morgan. Promise."

JJ just laughs as she hangs up. She glances at her watch. By now Emily would be approaching the first place they planned to land and investigate.

"Be safe, honey," she whispers, hoping her love will carry to her wife. She pulls out her phone to call Rossi and Reid to let them know what is going on. And to make sure they pick up some dill pickles and peanut butter before they return to the precinct.

* * *

"Why subterranean?" Morgan asks.

Hotch shrugs. "If they aren't in a flood plain the ground would offer extra insulation and no real risk to the contents."

Morgan nods. "So, did you hunt as a kid?"

"No. Never did. You?"

"Wasn't a big thing in Chicago," he answers with a grin. "So we know Rossi hunts. And JJ hunted as a kid and her family still hunts. Why the heck are we the two running down hunters with big freezers?"

"Well, for one JJ gets to deal with Chief Davis."

"Ugh. Good point," Morgan notes.

"And, two, Rossi ticked me off."

Morgan starts to laugh. "So you sentenced him to a day of Reid-isms. Nice, bossman."

Hotch just winks. It's good to be the boss. As they pull up in front of the address the first thing they notice is the front end loader sitting in the driveway. As they get out of the car, Morgan notes there isn't much dirt on it.

"It's been used but not recently."

"Maybe just before the first dump?"

"Could be," Morgan agrees.

They walk up and knock on the door. No answer. Morgan eases over to where he can look in a window. He shakes his head.

"I don't see anyone. Doesn't look very lived in, either. I can see dust on the table in front of this window."

Hotch knocks again. "FBI! We just have a few questions for you," he calls out.

Still no answer. He looks around.

"No fence. Let's just look around outside. Only what is in plain sight."

Morgan nods and the two men leave the porch and start around behind the house. Morgan glances in a couple more windows but everything screams "deserted" to him and he says as much to Hotch.

As they get around back they see the mound of dirt…beside an opening in the ground. The men exchange a look and cautiously approach it. There are steps leading down to an open door. The thick, insulated steel door leads to the in-ground freezer Garcia's search has revealed. Morgan walks down the steps and tries the door then looks at Hotch.

"It's not locked," he points out as he opens it a crack.

Hotch considers this. The lawyer in him tells him to walk away and get a warrant. The agent reminds him he has no proof there is anything other than deer meat in there. He studies the wispy condensation clouds curling out of the door, like a siren beckoning a sailor.

"Okay. We take a quick look, don't touch a thing, then call in the locals if it's what we think it is."

Morgan nods and starts in, his firearm out just in case the unsub waits inside. They step through the doorway…

…into a scene of horror.

The freezer is about 20 feet long and 15 feet wide. A table to the right of the door holds a body, frozen and missing its legs and hands. Along the walls are bunks made out of 2x4's and plywood. Some hold full bodies, some partial bodies…some show the imprints of bodies that had been there before.

"We knew she had to have more bodies," Morgan states, for the first time using the feminine pronoun to describe this unsub.

Hotch nods. "And I think we'll clear a lot of missing person's cases before we- -"

His words choke off as the door to the freezer is slammed shut. Both agents race towards it. Hotch hits the inside release but it won't work. They throw themselves against the door but it won't budge. Hotch pulls out his phone but, much as he expected, he has no signal.

Morgan spins around and kicks one of the bunks. "I can't believe we walked INTO THIS! Son of a BITCH!"

Hotch slowly looks around. "Morgan, calm down. This thing is sealed up very well."

Morgan starts to question what the hell he is talking about but it hits him. "Freezing cold and no air other than that cold air."

"Right. For now we need to stay calm. The others know where we are. We can survive a couple days down here and- -"

He stops and the both turn back as something hits the door. Something heavy. They ease closer, trying to hear anything through the door. After a second Hotch groans.

"What?" Morgan asks.

"She's burying the freezer. She's not worried about us or them," he motions towards the bodies. "She's burying us alive in here and leaving."

Morgan and Hotch stare at the door, listening as the heavy thumps get higher and higher.

"She's using the front end loader," Hotch guesses.

"Yeah. She'll have this place buried in no time. Even if the others come she'll have a good lead on them."

Hotch nods. "Yes."

Morgan looks around again as if an escape route will suddenly appear. "And if she conceals this place with debris or something we could be fucked."

Hotch leans against the door and slides down to the ground. "Yes."

Morgan runs his hands over his head, a sign of frustration; a sign he hates to see no way out of the situation. He starts to pace.

"Morgan, sit down. Save oxygen."

"If we sit we could freeze to death. Is that more acceptable than suffocation?" he challenges angrily.

"No. But for now we conserve oxygen and hope the others get their asses up here quickly."

Morgan considers defying Hotch but knows he only wants to do so because he's mad…and scared. He walks over and sits down beside Hotch. After a few minutes, Morgan looks at his boss.

"Hotch?"

"Yeah?"

"If you get scared I'm not comforting you the way Emily did JJ."

Hotch bursts out laughing. "Damn. Looks like I'll have nothing to brag to Garcia about."

Both men laugh and settled down to wait and hope their friends figure out where they are.

And both know they will NEVER live it down that they walked right into their own death trap…as long as they live to teased.


	13. Chapter 13

Emily says a prayer of thanks as the plane touches down for the first time. Sara smiles at her.

"One leg down, 4 to go."

Emily groans. "Promise not to countdown each time we land. Just remind me when we get to the fifth."

Sara smiles. "Deal, Emily."

The two women get out of the plane. For the second time in just a few days Emily has to resist the urge to drop and kiss the ground. Sara points.

"Parts were found in that direction. I'm going to get the plane turned around for take off."

"Need a hand?" Emily offers.

"Nah, I do it alone because it gives me a chance to do a safety check, too."

Emily nods. "Then by all means, check away. I'll be over that way looking at…uh…a lot of nothing."

Sara just chuckles. Emily pulls her face mask on and grabs the bag with her camera and notepad in it. She pulls out her GPS unit and walks to the approximate spot 2 legs and part of a torso were found. She scans the area: Shrub trees. Some rocks. But for the most part it is wide open. She kneels when she notices paw prints in the snow pack.

"Wolves. Great," she mutters.

She takes out the camera and eases back the finger pocket on her right hand glove. Beneath the mitten-like fold her fingers are covered by insulated neoprene gloves. And they are still cold. She takes a few pictures of the area. After a minute she stands.

"So open. Anyone could have seen her," she says aloud to herself. "She wasn't scared to be seen."

She slowly turns, scanning the skies. Nothing for miles.

"I need to ask Sara how many planes would be around when the parts were dumped. Then I need to figure out if she could hear a plane approaching and maybe gauge how close it could get to her. These mountains would distort the sounds but someone very familiar could probably figure out- -"

Her recitation breaks off as she hears rustling in the scrub bushes right near her. Her mind flashes to the image of a polar bear or a wolf bursting into the clearing. She drops the camera and her bag, fighting to pull her gun from her coat. Just as it clears her pocket…

…an arctic hare bursts into the clearing.

"Son of a bitch," Emily mutters.

She hears laughter and turns to see Sara had walked up to her. Blushing, Emily puts her gun away and picks up her things.

"Uh, if anyone asks…can you say it was the largest polar bear you've ever seen?"

"To your friends and family, yes. When I tell it at my brother's hotel bar, oh, hell no," she replies, still chuckling.

Emily grin. "Well, I guess I can accept that. Now, since you're here, you can answer a few questions for me." She asks about the sounds and plane activity.

Sara thinks a second. "Even in summer this particular area would be pretty sparse plane wise. Only a few of us have planes small enough to shoot down into the valley to land. As to the sounds, the echoes would make it hard to figure out where it is coming from but you would be able to tell when it is getting close because it would get quite a bit louder."

"The Hollywood Bowl effect," Emily guesses.

"Exactly," Sara agrees.

Emily slowly turns and scans the area once more. "She knew this area very well. She dumped several bodies here because she knew she wouldn't be disturbed."

"Does she have a plane?"

"No record that she does. Of course, she could have purchased it under another alias. She led hunts and fishing trips, right? How would she get them in if she didn't have a plane?"

"Charters like me or others. She never approached me but I can't speak for everyone."

Emily makes a couple of notes and then packs her stuff up. As they walk back to the plane she glances at her pilot.

"Um, maybe a wolf?"

Sara chuckles. "Sorry, Em, I can't lie to my family. I'll have to say a vicious bunny rabbit scared the big bad FBI agent."

"Asshole," Emily says with a laugh.

The two women laugh. After checking the plane once more, they are on their way to the next stop on their trek in the low arctic light.

* * *

JJ and Reid are staring at the information Garcia had found on the priest. JJ shakes her head.

"So sure I can see someone suddenly paying bills via computer. We all do it."

"I don't," Reid mutters.

JJ rolls her eyes. "Okay, so all of those living in the 21st Century do it. Anyhow, that doesn't strike me as strange. But the sudden lump sums deposited in his bank account each November tells me that's the unsub moving money where she needs it. Why didn't the bank raise a red flag?"

"If she did night deposits or didn't do any cash back they wouldn't require i.d," Reid points out. "And if she was calm, made small talk, maybe even mentioned the reason for the deposit she may not have raised any red flags."

Rossi walks into the room, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. "Still no word from Hotch?"

JJ shakes her head. "Not yet. Maybe the priest is giving them some decent information."

"Maybe."

Reid studies the older agent. "What's wrong?"

"What info could he have? If Pamela Cutler showed up on his doorstep it wouldn't be to stroll down memory lane. It would be for revenge."

JJ shrugs. "Unless he had a change of heart over her transexuality. People can change and grow. Even priests."

"Maybe," Rossi agrees hesitantly. He pulls out his phone and tries Hotch's number. "Damn it. Straight to voicemail." He waits a second. "Aaron, call me. Soon." He ends the call and pockets the phone. "So, what do we have here?"

"Lots of nothing," JJ concedes. "We can look at this and read a hundred different things into it. But my instinct is Cutler killed the priest, concealed his body and now uses his place as her hunting cabin in the States."

"So what are you saying?" Rossi asks.

"I'm saying we need to get to White Bear Lake," JJ answers. "It's only 20 minutes away, maybe 40 if the roads are still bad from this storm."

Rossi nods. "Okay. JJ, stay here as Hotch requested. Run interference with Davis if needed. We don't need him trying to muscle in up there."

JJ nods. "Okay." She glances at her watch. "If they are on time, Emily should be finishing up the second location. If by chance she finds something we have to know I'll call you."

"Sounds good. Reid, let's go. And I swear on my next bestseller if you spend our trip spewing more facts about the state of Minnesota I will dump you off on the side of the road," the older agent threatens.

JJ just chuckles as Reid nods nervously. He knows Rossi means it. JJ pats her friend on the arm.

"You can do it, Reid. Emily has figured out ways to stifle the geek. You can, too."

Reid grins. "Gee, thanks. I think."

* * *

Morgan and Hotch are pacing enough to keep their blood flowing but still trying to keep from using too much oxygen. On his forth circle, Hotch starts to study the bodies. Suddenly he stops.

"Where's the priest?"

Morgan looks at him. "What?"

"The priest isn't in here."

Morgan looks at the 18 bodies and all are men in their 20's just like the other victims. He slowly shrugs.

"I don't know. No record of Cutler flying here. If she drove she could have dumped the body anywhere in Minnesota or Canada."

"Or it could be buried here somewhere," Hotch points out. "We'll need cadaver dogs and maybe even GPR."

"Yeah. Let's hope they don't need the ground penetrating radar to find us."

Hotch grins. "Good point." He pulls a latex glove out of his pocket and starts to poke around the clothes on one of the bodies. "I'll be damned."

"What?"

Hotch extracts a wallet and holds it up. Morgan's eyebrows rise. He pulls on a glove and starts to poke around the body closest to him. He, too, pulls out a wallet.

"If they all have i.d. we'll be able to give l8 families some closure." He moves to the partial body on the butcher table. He checks the remnants of clothes. "Nothing."

Hotch checks one of the partial bodies on the bunks. "Nothing here, either. When she dismembers them she takes their information. While she has them here they are her trophies. Once they are disposed of she only has their i.d. to keep the memory alive."

"Sounds right. And I bet if Emily can get into the cabin she'll find the trophies."

"Not taking that bet," Hotch says as he pulls out his phone and starts to type.

"Hotch, a text won't get out, either."

"I know. I'm putting our findings in here. If all they find is the phone Garcia will find our conclusions and they can use them to burn Cutler's ass."

"Wow…nothing comforting about any of that," Morgan mutters, hating that Hotch is right. Morgan looks around, wishing he could figure out a way to get them out of the predicament he feels he's gotten them into.

* * *

Rossi and Reid pull up in front of the priest's house. The Bureau SUV is sitting in the driveway. Reid holds up his phone.

"Full signal," he notes.

Rossi checks his phone. "Mine, too." He hits Hotch's number again but still no luck. He hits Garcia's number. "Garcia, any sign of their phones yet?"

"No. But I can see yours and Reid's right by their SUV."

"Yeah, we're parked behind it. No other vehicles around. Well, except a front end loader out back. Snows cleaned off it so it's been used recently."

Garcia types, frowning. "Huh…I don't see the priest owning a front end loader. Of course, I'm not sure what a front end loader is but if it was expensive he'd have had to have a loan for it and there isn't one."

"A front end loader is a type of tractor and attachment set-up. Like a mini-bulldozer. Sort of."

"Ah, okay. Still, no sign he bought one."

"We'll try to get the numbers off of it. If she stole it the owner could be a victim."

"Okay. So, I'm watching your blips. If they even flicker I'm calling in the National Guard."

"Thanks, Garcia. We'll be in touch when we find them."

"Good. Be safe, my knights in shining armor. Find our dudes in distress."

Rossi smiles. "That's the plan." He hangs up and looks at Reid. "Vests. Just in case."

Reid nods and reaches into the backseat to grab both of them. Once both agents are in their vests, their FBI jackets windbreakers over them, they start towards the house. Reid points to some tracks in the snow.

"There was another vehicle here. Recently since the tracks are only partly filled in."

Rossi nods, guessing that the tracks had to have been left in the last 30 minutes or so considering the small amount of snow starting to bury them. He knocks on the front door. No answer. He knocks again.

"FBI! We have a few questions," he calls out.

He knocks a little harder…and the door pops open. He raises an eyebrow and looks at Reid.

"Did you do that on purpose?" Reid asks.

Rossi shakes his head. "No." He pulls his gun. "But since it's open…"

Reid pulls out his gun and nods. Rossi eases the door open some more and looks at the living room area. It is empty. He steps over the threshold, gun pointed out in front of him.

"FBI! We're coming in to make sure you are okay."

The two agents silently move towards the hallway. Reid checks the coat closet and confirms it is empty. He does notice 2 sizes of sneakers on the floor inside. Strange since the priest is single. After confirming the kitchen is also empty the two start towards the bedroom. The first room is set up with a computer, books and big comfy recliner. It is obviously the priests' reading room.

The next room is a bedroom that has been used. The bed is unmade and clothes hang out of the drawers, testament to hurried packing. Reid notices a brush on the dresser; hair tangled in the bristles. He points it out to Rossi, who nods. They would have their unsub's DNA.

They move to the last room. It isn't empty.

The skeletal remains of the priest lie on the bed, arms crossed across his chest. Reid steps towards them, studying them.

"He hasn't been here the whole time."

"Why do you say that?" Rossi asks.

"She had to break his arms and legs to lay him down. He was sitting somewhere for a long time."

Rossi grimaces at that deduction. They walk back through the house they now know is empty. In the TV room they find the seat where the priest had died and eventually mummified. Rossi shakes his head.

"She must have run when Hotch and Morgan arrived."

"But where the hell are they?"

"Well they aren't in here. Let's go check around outside."

Reid nods and follows Rossi back out the front door. In the back yard they find the signs where the frontend loader had been used recently. Together they pull trash, branches and some boards off a patch of freshly packed dirt. The two agents exchange a look.

"A…a grave?" Reid asks nervously.

Rossi is about to answer when he feels a slight tremor against the soles of his feet. He frowns. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

Rossi doesn't answer. He kneels down and places his hand against the ground. His face registers shock. "Reid! Feel this!"

Reid kneels down. At first he is confused then he feels the tremor Rossi had found. "A motor?"

"This place had an underground freezer. She buried the steps and door!"

Reid's eyes widen. "Yes!"

Rossi jumps up and runs over to the farm implement. No keys.

"DAMN IT! We need to get someone out here that can dig out the- -what are you doing?" he asks as Reid runs over and starts to look at the wiring.

"Emily taught me how to hotwire vehicles."

"Emily? When?"

Reid shrugs. "A while ago. We were talking about things she learned as Lauren. I thought this would be a neat skill to have just in case." He finishes prepping the wires and taps them together. He smiles as the motor starts up. "Awesome! Can't wait to tell her it worked!"

Rossi pushes him out of the way. "Send her a postcard. Call Garcia and Ties. We'll need forensic teams out here. And get an APB out on the priests' car."

Reid steps away from the sound of the machine to make the calls. Rossi starts to move to dirt off what he is sure is the entrance to the freezer unit. As he drives, he notices steam coming up out of a vent in the ground. Yes, the freezer is here. The question is: are Hotch and Morgan? And if yes…are they alive?

* * *

Chief Davis walks into the conference room. He studies the boards and JJ lets him. The longer he puts off asking questions the longer it is before he starts to piss her off. Finally he seems to be done. He gestures to the boards.

"A woman? Really?"

JJ sighs. She had known he wouldn't believe a female unsub. He was quite predictable. "Yes."

"But what is…why did…how…" he just shakes his head, unable to voice his confusion coherently.

"The first clue it could be a woman was the dismemberment. Women killers often take the bodies apart to make it easier to dispose of them. Once we noticed a connection to some cases in Canada we started looking at why someone would kill in these two areas. The number one reason in this area is, of course, the Mayo Clinic. We expanded our search to include all medical facilities and clinics. I won't get into the specifics but we found a place willing to give us a little information. This coincided with a U.S. citizen traveling between the States and Canada at certain times of the year. This person was a woman."

"But a woman- -"

JJ interrupts him to continue. "Things that happened in her life molded a serial killer. She is killing people who represent what she wants to be."

He considers this a moment. "So she's, like, gay and wants to be a guy so she kills guys?"

"Uh, sort of. It's a little deeper than that but that's close enough."

Davis starts to pace. "Look, don't take this the wrong way but I have a hard time with this…this profile." JJ's back stiffens, expecting homophobia. "My son is gay and it's never been easy for him but he's not out killing women because he can't be a woman. This reeks of homophobia, Agent Jareau, and I'm not sure I like the way you all are painting this."

To say JJ is shocked is an understatement. She grins.

"Chief Davis, I can assure you this isn't a gay bashing. I wouldn't stand for that. My wife would never forgive me if I did." She lets that sink in a second. When she sees the dawning in his eyes she continues. "This unsub is older than we originally thought. She is in her 50's. As a child her church minister convinced her mother to send her to an asylum where shock treatment and other torturous methods were used to try to 'cure' her," JJ explains.

"Son of a bitch," Davis mumbles.

"Exactly. When she got out, she ran away to the White Bear Lake area, which back then probably seemed so far away. She started to live like a man and was doing well until her priest was transferred to that area."

"And he started to destroy the life she had made," Davis guesses.

"Yes. She then left for Canada. But the damage was done: she trusted no one. Add in the damage done by the shock treatments and she had become a sociopath. She feels nothing but hatred. The slow return of the bodies in this area is to punish everyone she believes wronged her. Two communities that turned their back on her."

Davis drops down into a chair, staring at his clasped hands. "When my son first came out I was angry; sure I'd done something wrong to make him that way. I was a real bastard towards him." He takes a deep breath. "Then one night I got a call from him. He was hysterical. He and his boyfriend were jumped when they left a club. Bastards busted them up pretty good. When I saw my son sitting by the bedside of his partner, holding his hand, whispering words of love and encouragement I realized that…that love is love. My son being gay didn't change him from the good young man I had raised." He slowly looks up and meets JJ's eyes. "Before that night I can't say I wouldn't have tried to 'fix' him if someone had given me a way."

"But you didn't try to fix him or cure him. And when he needed you, you were there for him. I was in high school when I told my mom about the feelings I was having. I was so confused and scared." JJ shrugs. "She was great. But my sister had passed so maybe she just couldn't risk losing another child. Whatever the reason, my parents always supported me whether I dated men or women. And they both love my wife and our children. Something tells me you'll be the same way when your son finds his life partner and starts a family." She gestures to the board. "That wasn't going to happen back then. If she was already predisposed to violence, the treatment she was subjected to ensured she would follow the path she is on now."

"And…and you're sure it's her?"

"99.9%. And before you ask, we won't let the media turn this into a 'gay-straight' thing. She had a choice: to kill or not to kill. Despite the treatment she went through, she still _chose_ to kill instead of getting help."

Davis grunts. "Hmph. Considering the 'help' she was given before is it any surprise she didn't want help to curb these urges?"

"Sadly, not really," JJ admits.

Davis slowly stands. "Well, I'll let you get back to…whatever you were doing."

"Thank you. And if you have any more questions, let me know." Davis nods and starts to walk out. "Chief Davis?" The man stops and turns back. "Did you ever catch the men who attacked your son?"

"Yes. And my son made me even more proud when he faced them down in court. His testimony was so strong the bastards struck deals because their lawyers were pretty sure they'd lost the jury."

"Good," JJ says, smiling.

Davis nods and continues back to his office, content to let the agents do their thing and stop this killer. JJ sighs in relief. He hadn't even pushed to send Detective Smith up to be part of the teams up there.

* * *

Reid uses a shovel to bust the padlock off the freezer door. He pulls it open and the two agents inside quickly stumble out.

"Reid, I could kiss you," Morgan tells him.

"But would you respect me in the morning," Reid teases.

Hotch shivers. "You know what's screwed up? It was warmer in there."

Reid nods. "The temperature is set for 28 degrees. It's 24 out here."

Hotch starts up the stairs. "I'll take the difference. What's the status?"

"We found the priest's body. Forensics teams are working on the house and a shed out back. Coroner has already taken the priest's body. There were signs of strangulation on the neck."

"Had he been frozen?" Morgan asks.

"No. He was mummified. Looks like a salt-based mixture was used."

"She didn't…travel with him, did she?"

"Looks like he was left behind in a chair in the living room."

Morgan blanches. "Somehow that seems worse."

Reid nods in agreement. "There is an APB out on the minister's car and notices at all the border crossings with her most recent photo."

"Good," Hotch says. "Any word from Emily?"

"No. But we also notified airports. If she tries to fly back to Canada she'll be caught. JJ also called the detective Emily is working with and told him to keep an eye on who flies into Iqaluit."

"Excellent."

Rossi walks up and nods to the two agents. "Good to see you guys. How the hell did she get you in there?"

Morgan and Hotch exchange a look. Rossi starts to chuckle.

"Oh, that's rich."

"What's rich?" Reid asks in confusion. "They didn't answer."

"And that was answer enough for me. Kid, they walked in on their own."

Reid starts to grin. "No way."

"Way," Hotch mutters. "Let's go talk to Detective Ties."

Morgan quickly follows him. Reid and Rossi hang back a bit…so they can laugh and start to plan the ways to pick on their friends forever.


	14. Chapter 14

Emily paces near the fireplace as the satellite phone rings, enjoying the warmth starting to work its way through her body. She is warmed even more when her wife answers.

"Hi, Emily. How's the great white north?"

"Cold, baby. Very, very cold. How's it down there?"

"Frustrating. The guys are up in White Bear Lake. The storm is getting harder so they are staying up there tonight. Rossi and Reid got to the place Cutler is staying about half an hour after she bolted. Of course, that was after she sealed Hotch and Morgan up in the underground freezer and buried it."

"Oh my God! Are they okay? Did she get the drop on them?" Emily asks, alarmed.

JJ giggles. "Nope. They walked in on their own and she locked them in."

Emily considers this a moment then starts to chuckle. "They are never going to live that one down."

"Oh, hell no!" JJ agrees.

"HEY, EMILY! DID YOU TELL THEM ABOUT THE SCARY BUNNY RABBITS?" Sara yells from the kitchen.

Emily blushes as her wife starts to laugh.

"Oh, honey, please tell me about the bunnies," JJ begs.

Emily glares at the laughing pilot. "I'll tell you later, Jen. Let's just concentrate on the case."

"Right. So, let me call the guys and we can go over what we know."

JJ quickly dials Hotch's number on the conference room phone.

"JJ, is she on with us?" Hotch answers.

"I'm here, Bossman," Emily replies. "And quite possibly less frozen than you and Morgan," she adds, giggling.

Hotch glares at Reid and Rossi as they snicker at the joke. "Funny, Prentiss. So, tell us what you found up there."

"Can I assume you got the pictures?" Emily asks.

"Yeah, Prentiss, but why are they so dark? Is your camera not working right?" Morgan asks.

"Reid, when we get off can you explain the concept of Polar Night to Derek," Emily requests.

"Done," Reid promises.

"Good. Because the lack of real daylight is driving me crazy," Emily states. "Anyway, the places we looked into are all a little off the beaten path. Someone might fly over as she is dumping bodies but it's not likely. She'd have known this from her time leading hunts. She would also know predators and scavengers are in those areas, which would make fast work of the remains."

"How does she get them there?" Reid asks.

"She has her own plane. It was a way she could take hunters, fishers and campers where they wanted to go. She could land wherever she needed to and get back out again. She could also watch how the predators were moving and make sure she could drop the remains where they would be decimated."

Hotch had latched onto one thing. "She has a plane?"

"Yes."

"Son of a bitch. Garcia, are you there?"

"Here, sir. Morgan patched me in."

"Have you checked regional airports in the area to see if she came into the country that way?"

Garcia's fingers start to fly over the keyboard. "Shit! No, sir. I just assumed she flew commercial or drove."

"If she did fly her own plane down here she's not flying home any time soon," Rossi points out. "The storm here would keep her from taking off and the storm hitting up that way starting tomorrow night will ensure she stays down here."

Emily groans. "You've all been keeping up with the weather reports."

"Of course, kid. We have a pretty important person up in the middle of wicked winter weather."

"Yeah, tell me about it," she mutters as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "So, anyway, we start back tomorrow. Our second stop will be Cutler's cabin."

"Good," Hotch says. "For the bodies we found down here all had their i.d. still on them. But we never did find any identification for the bodies that had been dismembered and disposed of."

"You think she has a treasure trove up here? Something to help her relive the kills over and over," Emily concludes.

"Yes. See what you can from outside. When you get there, call us to see if we have anything that can give you cause to enter."

"Will do. And, uh, if you do, do I still have to see the last 4 sites?"

"Cover all bases, Prentiss," Hotch says regretfully. "We need to know everything for the profile. RCMP are looking forward to our report so they can look into charges to press up there."

Emily gets angry. "Then why the FUCK aren't they up here with me? Why the hell am I flying all over the fucking Arctic? They even called for Dez to go back to Montreal. I'm on my damn own up here doing their fucking scut work and not even sure I can make it home to my family for Christmas. It's fucking BULLSHIT!"

Silence greets the end of Emily's outburst. The male agents look at each other in shock. Sara looks at Emily as if worried she's going to snap and kill them both. Garcia slumps down in her chair, wishing she could find the smoking gun that can bring Emily home. JJ rubs her eyes, hating the anger and frustration in her wife's voice.

"Emily, what you are doing is vital to cases in both countries," JJ says calmly. "You aren't doing scut work. You are doing the work that will put her away forever, save the lives of future victims, and give peace to so many families."

"I'll let you know if that comes to mean something to me, Jen. Look, if you all don't need me, I'm…I need…I just…"

"We'll talk to you tomorrow, Prentiss," Hotch agrees.

"Fine."

Emily disconnects and tosses the phone on the couch. She drops down into the matching armchair, her head in her hands. Sara slowly walks over and puts a mug of cocoa beside the agent.

"I'd ask if you were okay but that seems like a dumb question," she says as she sits on the couch.

Emily leans back in the chair, staring up at the log ceiling. "The lack of sunlight is starting to get to me. Add in frustration brought on by knowing that storm is coming and I can't do a damn thing about it and my depression bubbled over into fury."

"Not surprising. A lot of people can't take the endless nights. That's why all the bathrooms at my brother's hotel have those sunlamps in them."

"Oh. Wondered about that."

"Emily, when we get back tomorrow, spend an hour in there. It will help you. Promise. Run a hot bath, maybe have some cocoa…or something harder sent up and spend time under the light."

Emily manages a smile. "I'll do that. And the next morning you'll fly my ass back to the mainland?"

Sara smiles. "Weather permitting I'll get your ass back on its way home. Promise."

Emily reaches for the mug of cocoa. "Thanks for this. And for the suggestion."

"No problem. So, think you need to call your wife back?"

"Nope. She'll call me when they are done with the debrief and she is on her way to the hotel. Or she may wait until she gets there if the roads are bad."

"Good. So, how about some poker while we wait?"

"Poker? Sure. What are the stakes?"

Sara gets up and walks up to the mantle. She picks up a metal Flake candy box and walks to the coffee table. She opens it to show it is full of pennies.

"Take as many as you need. Whoever ends up with most by the time we quit wins."

Emily smiles. "I like it."

Sara reaches into the coffee table drawer and pulls out a deck of cards. Emily raises an eyebrow.

"Those aren't marked are they?"

"Of course not. As far as you know," Sara says with a wink.

Emily laughs and sits forward, grabbing a handful of pennies out. "Smartass. Call your game and prepare to be schooled."

Sara chuckles and starts to shuffle.

* * *

After Emily had hung up there is a moment of silence. Finally Morgan sighs.

"Okay, let's find this bitch and bring Emily home. Garcia, anything on the airports?"

"I have all sorts of regional, private flights in from Canada but none are Pamela or Paul Cutler. Thing is, she could have flown into a different state and then hopped from there to here and just showed an interstate flight," Garcia points out. "And before you ask, yes I am starting to search all airports near the border but it will take time."

"Do what you have to do, Garcia," Hotch encourages her. "So, the rest of you, is there anything in her past that could tell us where she is? Where might she go to ground?"

"Oh my God! Her mother or her church!" Rossi says.

"Her mother?"

"According to the current priest she has never visited her mother since she left the asylum. If she thinks the noose is starting to tighten, maybe she makes that trip!"

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yes. An assisted living home."

"JJ, I need you to go talk to the director there. They need to make sure to keep an eye on Cutler's mother and carefully check any visitor she has. Take the most recent photo we have."

JJ nods. "Got it."

"I just texted you the name," Rossi says.

"I'll get the address from the phonebook and head there now unless you need me for anything else."

"Go, JJ," Hotch orders. "And then call your wife. Settle her mind."

"Will get both things done. I'll call you if I learn anything at the home."

JJ signs off, gathers her things and hurries out to put out a warning to Millie Cutler's caregivers.

Hotch looks at the men. "I will admit I am at a loss as to where to look for her. She could have left via a private airstrip to anywhere. She could be going to see her mother. She could be in another room at this damn motel. What are we missing?"

The men are quiet as they consider what they know. Reid speaks first.

"She's not done here. Everything she does here she does to hurt those she feel wronged her. In Canada she kills and dumps. Down here she kills then slowly returns the bodies, dragging out the pain for the families over three years. She didn't get to finish dumping the bodies and now she won't. We'll return the bodies immediately. She's not going to just disappear. She needs this area to suffer like she has suffered."

"So how does she do that? Church or assisted care home?" Morgan asks.

"Neither," Reid murmurs as his mind puts together puzzle pieces in his mind. He sits forward. "Garcia! The asylum where she was sent…is it still in business?"

Garcia starts to type. "Uhh…yes. Sort of. It's no longer any sort of hospital. It's now a community center for the Catholic Diocese."

"She wasn't Catholic," Hotch points out. "Would she go after it now?"

"In her mind, that is where the pain started; where she lost control of her life. I don't think it would matter that it's not a hospital. I think the building is the symbol," Reid says.

Hotch looks at Rossi. "Call JJ. Garcia, what's the address. She needs to go there first."

Garcia types and finds the address just as Rossi connects to JJ. "JJ, we need you to make a different stop first."

"Okay, shoot," JJ tells him. She programs the address he recites into her GPS unit. "Uh, guys, one question: how…prepared should I be doing this?"

"Put your vest on under your sweater, JJ, and have your gun handy," Hotch says.

"Son of a bitch," she grumbles.

Morgan hangs up his phone. "JJ, I just talked to Smith. He'll meet you there."

JJ breathes out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Morgan."

"I should have thought of that myself, JJ. I'm sorry," Hotch apologizes.

"We'll chalk it up to brain freeze," JJ says, though she is a little miffed he hadn't considered her pregnancy when sending her to a potential meeting with the unsub.

After JJ hangs up, Hotch looks at the others. "Okay, anything else?"

Morgan sits forward. "I say to hell with the storm. Minnesota knows how to clear roads. Let's get back to St. Paul. Everything says she is there and JJ should NOT be alone to face her."

Hotch opens his mouth to deny the request when Rossi and Reid chime in, supporting Morgan's idea. Hotch starts to doubt himself. Rossi sees what's going on.

"Aaron, can we speak out in the hall a moment?"

Rossi doesn't wait for an answer but leaves the room. Hotch drops his phone on the desk and follows him out into the hallway.

"What?" Hotch spits gruffly.

Rossi studies the younger man's face. "Okay, yes, you and Morgan did something incredibly stupid today. You made a bad choice and ended up nearly paying with your life for it. Happens all the damn time on the job. Are we going to tease you mercilessly over it? You bet your ass we are. Don't make that one dumb mistake cause you to make another one. She's pregnant, Hotch. You will never forgive yourself if you send her into a situation that gets her or those twins she carries hurt."

Hotch had taken the dressing down silently. When Rossi finishes he wants to yell back; scream at the man for daring to question his authority. Problem is Rossi is right. Hotch runs a hand through his hair and sighs.

"Let's go." He walks back into the hotel room. "Grab your gear. We're heading to the community center." He grabs his phone and hits JJ's number. "JJ, change of plans. It's too risky to send you in there. We're on our way back. We'll make the notifications there and at the nursing home. Get back to the hotel and rest those babies."

JJ sighs in relief. "Thank you, Hotch."

"Don't thank me. Thank Rossi. He pointed out I was being an ass."

JJ smiles. "I'll thank him next time I see him. Good luck."

"Thank you."

* * *

Emily throws her cards down in disgust. "I have NEVER lost that many hands of poker! Those cards are definitely marked I just haven't figured out how yet."

Sara grins. "Sorry, Emily, I am just that good. Been playing for way too many years."

Before Emily can challenge that her satellite phone rings. She grins. "Saved by the bell." She grabs it off the couch. "Prentiss."

"Hey, baby."

"Jen, hi. You done for the night?"

"Yep unless something major goes down and I have to hold a press conference."

"Good. Then you can talk and save me further injury to my pride."

"Oh? How's that?"

"Sara's kicking my ass at poker."

JJ laughs. "You poor thing. You've finally met your match."

"Maybe. I'll get her when we go back for another round."

"In your dreams, woman," Sara says as she stands and moves away to give Emily some privacy.

Emily relaxes back in her chair. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Lonely. I miss you, Em. I need you to hold me tonight. I feel so…so…"

"Unsettled?"

"Yeah. I am sorry, Em. Knowing where you are and how long you may be there I shouldn't dump this on you."

"Stop, Jen. You know you can tell me anything. Hell, be pissed at me if you want. Do whatever you need to do to get settled inside so you can rest. You're sleeping for 3, you know."

JJ smiles, rubbing the baby bump. "Yeah, I know."

"So have I missed any milestones?"

"Just one."

"Oh, what?" Emily asks, trying not to sound disappointed.

"Well, I slathered a dill pickle with peanut butter…and then couldn't eat it. It made me feel sick."

Emily laughs. "Score! That is one milestone I will celebrate even though I missed it. Think it's permanently done?"

"I seem to remember a certain someone who intermittently craved sardines. So, what do you think?"

Emily groans. "I think you'll get the craving back when I finally see you again. You'll probably make me stop on the way home to pick them up so you can eat them in the car."

JJ laughs. "Probably."

"So, what did I miss after my minor breakdown?"

JJ fills Emily in on Reid's brainstorm. She leaves out the part about Hotch wanting to send her to the potential targets. Why make Emily worry more?

"God, I hope they run into her and arrest her ass. I will feel a lot better about this whole damn case once she's in custody. Then once I pass off information to the RCMP I can be done completely."

"Yes, you can. But why do I feel like it won't be that easy?"

Emily sighs. "Because it never is."

The two talk for almost an hour. Finally JJ hears Emily fighting a yawn.

"I guess I better let you get some sleep. You have another long day tomorrow of flying and fighting bunnies."

Emily chuckles. "Watch it, Agent Jareau."

"Couldn't resist, Agent Prentiss."

"Yeah, I know." Emily pauses, picturing her wife sitting on a hotel room bed; Spiderman sleep pants matched to an old Yale t-shirt; hair brushed out for the night; make-up washed off; a full natural beauty. "You're beautiful, Jennifer. I love you so much."

"I love you, too. Please be safe, Emily."

"I'll be as safe as I can be. Even if…if the storm blows in early and we have to bail to one of the cabins Sara knows about. I won't push my luck. I promise."

"Good. I'll hold you to that. The three of us love you. Goodnight, Emily."

"I love you three, too. Goodnight, Jen."

As Emily hangs up she sighs. Sara walks over and sits down.

"You love three people?"

Emily smiles. "She's pregnant with twins."

"Wow! That's great!"

Emily nods. "So great. God, so very great. We already have a son and daughter. I can't wait to see who else we add to the mix."

"Four kids. My parents had 5 and I thought they were nuts. Four isn't much better."

Emily chuckles. "We were aiming for 3. Twins were a surprise."

"Some surprises are better than others."

Emily nods. Little did she know those words would come back to haunt them the next day.


	15. Chapter 15

Morgan stretches and walks down to the break room for another cup of coffee. He and Reid are at the assisted living facility keeping an eye on the hallway where Millie Cutler now resides. So far there had been no sign of the woman's daughter. As he fills a coffee cup he glances up at the clock on the wall.

"3:43 a.m.: Do you know where your suspect is?" he mutters.

"You always talk to yourself?"

Morgan looks over and smiles at the nurse who is also coming in for a cup of coffee. He chuckles. "Only to see if I'm slurring my words."

She laughs. "Thought only night health care workers did that."

"Nope. Cops, too, when on an unplanned stake out."

The woman grimaces. "Right. The stake out. Do you really think Millie's daughter might come here? Might try to hurt her?"

Morgan finishes making his drink and steps to the side so she can make hers. He leans against the counter.

"The profile says she will either come here or go to the community center that had once been a clinic where she was confined. She may also go to the church but since none of her murders had a religious overtone it doesn't feel like she's blaming the church which is why we just have a couple of local police watching there."

"And the community center is guarded by who?"

"Two other agents and the lead detective here in St. Paul."

She nods. "Good." She takes a sip of coffee and stares at the cup a second. "You know, Millie is a really sweet lady. I just…can't see her having a daughter that…did all that."

"Scarily, the worst in society tend to come from good homes; good families. There were issues as Pamela was growing up that contributed to the anger she turned into murder. It doesn't always happen and it is rarely a direct reflection on the personality of the parent."

"I see. Millie talks about her. She has always regretted what happened back then and wants nothing more than a chance to apologize. Will she…get that chance?"

Morgan gives the woman a kind smile. "I hope so. I really, really hope so."

The woman just nods and goes back to her rounds. Morgan walks back down to the sitting area to find Reid staring at the ceiling, frowning.

"What's going on, Reid?"

"Garcia just texted me. She's still at Quantico and can't find a private airplane owned by Cutler, either as Paul or Pamela, and not in Canada or the U.S."

Morgan sits down and stares at the genius. "What are you thinking?"

"She took over the priest's house five years ago after she killed him. How did she get set up so easily as an outfitter in Canada?"

Morgan raises an eyebrow. "She stole someone's life. Didn't just kill him but stole his whole life."

Reid nods. "Most likely. And probably not on Baffin Island. It would have been noticed by someone."

"So she crosses the border and heads north, kills someone and becomes them but moves to Baffin Island to hide out and make her living as Paul Cutler, the person she wants to be."

Reid nods and quickly calls Garcia back. "Garcia, here's what we're thinking…" He lays out the theory to her.

Garcia's very tired fingers start to fly over the keyboard. "Okay, setting a search for people who have gone missing in any province. Filtering it to those that owned a plane. And I have…wow…16 people. Will pull everything I can find on them and send the list to Dez to pull more. Some of these people are in the Yukon territory so they could be pilots lost to the elements. When we find something I'll get back to you."

"Good. And, Garcia, take a nap as it runs. It will take a while."

"I won't argue with that. Should you all need me call. But please…don't need me until about 8 my time."

Reid and Morgan smile. "Done, Garcia," Reid replies.

Morgan pats his leg. "Take a nap. I'll wake you if she shows."

"Give me an hour then I'll take over."

Morgan nods. "Done."

Reid lies down on the couch as Morgan stands to pace to keep from falling asleep.

* * *

At 5:54 a.m. Hotch runs a hand over his face, feeling the stubble of his 5 o'clock shadow. He hated not being able to shave. He looks over at Rossi, who dozes in an arm chair. Rossi normally neatly trimmed goatee and mustache are starting to blend in with new growth. Hotch can only hope that by the time they leave here they aren't all full-bearded.

What are they missing? Why hasn't she shown up here or at that nursing center? She hasn't left the country. At least not legally. Where is her plane? She had to have one to - -

Hotch's thoughts break off as he hears a noise coming from a room just down the hall. He pulls his gun and kicks Rossi's foot. The older man pops awake. When he sees how Hotch is standing he quickly stands and pulls his own gun. Quietly, with an ease coming from years of working together, the two men carefully make their way down the hall. As they get closer the sound of shuffling and things moving around gets louder.

Pausing outside the open door, Hotch holds up three fingers. He slowly lowers them. When he gets to a closed fist he and Rossi burst into the room, each sweeping a different side.

"FBI! FREEZE!" Hotch yells.

And the cleaning lady screams in fright, dropping the mop she holds and throwing her hands into the air. Hotch quickly lowers his gun.

"EASY! Hey, easy, now. We're FBI and we're staking out his location. Didn't anyone call you?"

The terrified woman shakes her head, unable to speak. Rossi steps towards her. She shrinks away at first then allows him to put his arm around her and lead her to a chair.

"We are sorry to have startled you," he starts.

"STARTLED? YOU SCARED THE GHOST OUT OF ME!" she hollers.

Rossi grins. "Startled just sounded nicer. You were supposed to get a call telling you not to come in this morning." He pulls out a photo of Pamela Cutler. "But since you are here, have you ever seen this woman here?"

She studies the photo a moment. "Uh, no. But I think her brother comes by from time to time."

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "Her brother Paul?"

"Yes, yes that's his name," she confirms. "He says his sister was a patient here a long time ago. Said the horrible place it was changed her forever. He comes here to remember who she was before. He loves the changes here and is so happy it isn't an asylum anymore."

"I bet he is," Rossi agrees.

"Has she done something wrong? Oh, he'll be just devastated if she's done something wrong. He loves her so much."

"She is wanted for questioning in a small matter," Rossi hedges. "But for now, let me walk you out. You have the day off, fully paid, of course."

The woman nods. "O…Okay. If you see Paul, tell him I hope all is okay with his sister."

Rossi smiles as he leads her out. "I will."

Hotch pulls out his phone and calls Morgan. "Anything?"

Morgan sighs, sleep in his voice. "Nothing. Reid is watching things while I catch a few z's."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No problem." Hotch hears the sound of vinyl squeaking as Morgan sits up. "Hotch, how have we been so off on this? She had to show up here or there."

"I don't know. She hasn't left the country so she has to be somewhere close."

"Well, Reid had an idea he's having Garcia search." He tells about the theory she killed someone and stole their identity, money and plane to set up her new life as Paul, the Canadian outfitter.

Hotch nods. "Good thought. Wish we'd had it sooner. She could be gone and we won't know."

"For all we know she's on her way back to Baffin. I don't know about you, but that thought terrifies me. Emily won't expect her to show up."

"No, she won't. But if Cutler does show up I know Prentiss can handle it." Hotch looks at his watch. "She's not coming. We'll get Smith to put cars on these places and head to the hotel. Let's get some sleep and hope when Garcia wakes us it will be with another lead to follow up on."

"Sounds good to me. We'll get out of here as soon as the officers show up."

"Okay. Noon at the precinct unless we get something to move on sooner."

"Works for me."

"I'll let JJ know we'll be coming in late."

"Right. See you later, Hotch."

When Morgan disconnects, Hotch sends JJ a text to let her know what the plan for the day is. He then calls Smith to arrange for the cops to watch over the community center. He meets up with Rossi in the lobby.

"As soon as relief gets here we're gone." He runs down the plan for the morning.

Rossi groans and stretches. "Won't hear me arguing."

Twenty minutes later the men walk into the hotel, hoping to get a few uninterrupted hours of sleep.

* * *

It is close to 9 a.m. before Emily and Sara can take off for their next series of visits. As they fly, Sara looks out at the murky Arctic night sky.

"Clouds are going to keep our flight plan low. More bumping around but it beats not seeing where we're going."

Emily groans and grabs for her stash of airsick bags. "Keep us alive. I'll try to keep my breakfast off of you."

Sara chuckles. "I'd appreciate it."

The first site they visit is a dump site that once again show lots of signs of predators and scavengers alike. Emily takes photos and makes notes about the area and then gets ready to leave, knowing the next place is the most important of the day. It is 10:45 when Sara starts to descend in front of Cutler's cabin. She had done a fly by and the clearing the outfitter/serial killer obviously used is clear of debris. Emily's eyes scan the area while Sara's stare at the approaching ground. As they touch down, Sara suddenly gasps.

"Oh, shit!"

She jerks the wheel but it is too late to turn and she doesn't have enough speed to lift off. The thin layer of ice over a small crevice shatters, swallowing the left tire of the plane. Emily squeezes her eyes shut, reciting prayers as images of her wife, children and family flash through her mind.

Somehow Sara manages to keep the careening aircraft from tipping over. It does two full 360's as the left tire strut buckles from the force of impact. When they finally come to a stop both women are breathing heavily. Emily slowly opens her eyes, feeling the tight pull of her seatbelt as the plane sits at an angle.

"We…alive?"

"Yep," Sara answers calmly.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Optical illusion," Sara replies.

Emily slowly turns and glares at her. "Say what?"

"They fly by didn't show the crevice under the ice. Couldn't see it until we were on the ground and on top of it. Then I saw the light difference and knew what was about to happen."

"Fuck. How did you keep us from cartwheeling?"

Sara sighs and turns to her. "Not the first time this has happened. It's a common problem up here."

"Oh. Damn." Emily takes a deep breath and finally releases her seat belt. Both women climb out of the plane and take a look at the damage. "So, uh, how do we fix it?"

Sara runs her hand down the strut and shakes her head. "Son of a bitch. We don't. At least not today. I'll call a buddy of mine. He'll fly out here with what we need. He'll arrive tonight and we'll be able to fly out of here tomorrow."

Emily looks up in the air. "Uh, what about the storm?"

"If we get out first thing in the morning we'll make it back to Iqaluit before it hits. Sorry, but we won't be checking out any more dump sites."

Emily nods. "I figured. Most likely they would show exactly what all the others showed. Now, what the hell do we do for tonight?"

Sara points at Cutler's cabin. "We go in there. Law of the land: keep your cabin stocked in case of emergency, either yours or someone else's. Let's hope Cutler obeyed that. Should have dry wood for a fire. Dad made sure we had extra food just in case so as long as we can get a fire going to stay warm we won't die."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "So…we'll have cause to enter the cabin? No matter what?"

"Yes," Sara answers, confused. "It's understood you have to do what you have to do to survive."

Emily smiles. "Good to know."

She steps back and takes several pictures of the damaged plane. Sara is still confused.

"What are you doing?"

"If we find anything in there that helps cases in the States or in Canada I'll need proof we really did have to enter to stay alive."

"Ah, good point. Well, let me call Alfred and get him on his ready to come to us. Then we can get the gear inside and make sure he doesn't have to bring firewood, too."

"Okay."

Emily takes the time to call Hotch and let him know what's going on. She explains the situation.

"What are you thinking about searching the place, Hotch?"

A tired, but now excited, Hotch thinks a second. "Only things in plain site or things found in your efforts for survival."

Emily nods. "Kind of what I thought too. I'll take pictures of everything and document why anything was opened. I already took pics of the damaged plane so we can prove we really did wreck."

"Good. Keep us informed."

"I'll call you once I've seen everything I legally can."

"Good."

Emily hangs up and tucks the phone back in her duffel bag. She slides the strap onto her shoulder and then helps Sara grab their stores. When they reach the cabin, Emily takes a few pictures of the door and a quick video of Sara locating the key hanging on the rim of the door and making entry into the cabin. Sara sighs in relief.

"Firewood. Good."

As Sara moves to the fireplace to get the flue open and a fire warming the freezing building, Emily slowly pans around, the camera keeping in pace with her flashlight. When she gets to one wall she stops, her jaw dropping open in shock. She walks up and stares at the licenses tacked up on the wall, one in a column marked U.S., the others in a column marked Canada.

"Holy fucking shit," Emily mumbles.

Sara walks up behind her. "Oh my God are those…those…are they…"

"Those are Cutler's victims," Emily confirms, recognizing some of the U.S. ones as bodies already identified. "Holy crap. The ones I don't recognize must be ones she is going to get rid of this season. She brought the i.d.'s with her last year and spent the summer imagining dismembering them."

"Oh, that is too fucking twisted for words. I'm, uh, gonna go see to the, um, food and stuff," Sara says and hurries away.

Emily sees a lantern nearby and lights it. With the light from that in addition to her flashlight to illuminate them, she takes several pictures of the i.d.'s. She slowly shakes her head, thinking about the conversation the night before.

"Surprise, Prentiss, being in a plane wreck is actually a good thing," she whispers to herself.

She sets the camera down and pulls out the satellite phone. "Garcia, are you in your office?"

"Where the hell else would I be?" the grumpy, tired analyst answers.

"Uh, right. Um, did you sleep last night?"

"I napped on Hotch's couch. It is not as comfy as it looks."

"Oh. Damn, Pen. Sorry. Uh, but I am in Cutler's cabin. We need- -"

"WHAT?! Why are you in there? Did you get captured? What the hell?"

"No! No, I'm not captured. The plane wrecked a little so we're sheltering- -"

"WRECKED!" the analyst shrieks.

"PEN! Hey, easy! We're okay. Just a busted strut on the plane. No big deal up here. New part being sent to us and all is good."

"Oh, I so don't believe you but I can't prove you're lying."

Emily grins. "We're okay, Pen. I swear. Look, Cutler has a wall that contains the i.d.'s of all her victims. There's a column for Canada and one for the States. I don't have enough light to get a good picture of each one so I want to read them off to you. Then you and Dez can get looking into each one."

"Got it. Ready when you are."

"Okay, starting with the U.S. All are Minnesota licenses."

It takes 10 minutes for Emily to read the names and information off to Garcia.

"Wow…87 i.d.'s.," Garcia whispers in awe.

"Yeah. And most are Canadian. She didn't start killing in the States until 5 years ago. Whatever happened to drive her south happened then," Emily notes.

"You're right. I'll get working on these. Now call your wife."

Emily smiles. "She's next on my list."

"She should have been first," Garcia points out.

"If I had been hurt she would have been."

"Right. Keep warm, Emster."

"I will, Garcia." Emily hangs up and next dials her wife's number.

"How DARE you not call me to tell me you were in an accident!" JJ answers.

Emily smiles. "I'm fine, Jen. I guess you talked to Hotch?"

"Yes! How dare you call him before calling me!"

Emily chuckles. "Called Pen before you, too."

There is a moment of silence. "Oh, I am so fucking tempted to just hang up on your ass."

"Jennifer, I love you, too."

JJ sighs. "You are such a brat sometimes."

"I know."

"And I never said I loved you," she points out.

"Not in those words. The tone is what said it."

"Hmph. Whatever."

Emily grins. "You're so cute when you pout."

"I am NOT pouting. Stewing but not pouting."

Emily grins. "You're cute when you do that, too. So, let me tell you what I've found." She tells JJ about the wall and the 87 names she has given to Garcia and Dez. "Hotch will need to contact the RCMP and have them send a team up here. We need to have this taken into evidence officially by the locals."

JJ nods. "Will do. He should be here soon with the others."

"Any word on where the hell Cutler is?"

"No. Garcia and Dez are looking into 16 cases that could be murder. The thought is Cutler killed a man then took everything but his name to start fresh up there."

Emily nods. "Sounds right. And if that's the case, there are probably a lot more kills than this wall tells us. The licenses only go back 9 years. No way she sat on the urge to kill for so long."

"True. But if we don't find her it won't matter how many people she killed because she still won't pay for her crimes."

"I know. Any chance you can keep your phone on?"

Emily glances at the battery. "This battery is still pretty strong and I do have a second one for it. But I don't know if I can charge it. I'll keep it on as long as this battery lasts. If it dies I'll need to keep it off to preserve the other one."

"Okay. Be safe, Emily. And for the record, I do love you."

Emily smiles. "I love you, too. Let me know what happens up there."

"I will. Bye, baby."

"Bye, honey." Emily hangs up and walks the few feet over to where Sara stands by the fireplace.

"I notice you didn't mention we have to stay overnight here."

"She has to work today. I will tell her later after the plane is fixed and we confirm we can leave in the morning. No need to bring it up and confirm I'm not flying south tomorrow."

"Sometimes these storms blow over faster than expected," Sara offers hopefully.

"How often is sometimes?"

Sara blushes. "Uh, well…once in a blue moon, actually."

Emily chuckles. "That's what I thought. But thank you for trying."

Sara shrugs. "Anytime, my friend. Anytime."


	16. Chapter 16

"I found him!" Dez yells.

Garcia gets excited and rolls to the screen that had shown what Dez was doing. "Where?"

"He was an outfitter in Labrador. Disappeared on what was usually a routine flight. He has never been found and it was assumed someday someone would come across the wreckage. Then 15 years ago his plane was sold for scrap when he bought a new one. The serial number was entered in a database but it was never crossed with missing persons, just stolen planes."

"Damn," Garcia says. "If only someone had pushed one more button."

"No kidding."

Garcia starts to read the man's financials. "Yep, his deposits coincide with withdrawals from Paul Cutler's accounts. She moved money into his account to keep him active. Why didn't that throw up any red flags with missing persons?"

"He went missing 25 years ago. Doesn't look like they ever put his information into the automated databases so it was never reviewed. He'd been declared dead and no insurance was paid out so there was no investigation. He had no family so no one came forward to claim anything. His accounts were just forgotten about from the looks of it."

"Double damn," Garcia says. "I can bet our killer knew there was no one to keep the case active. Well chosen, you psycho fruitcake."

"Strange. I just entered the call sign for the plane into a search to see if it crossed into the U.S. but I have nothing."

Garcia frowns. "That doesn't make sense. She had to have flown here." She thinks a second. "How about a pilot with the name of the deceased man but different numbers on the plane? She may have changed those to keep under the radar, uh, so to speak."

"Good thought…let's see…YES! Okay, she flew to a private airstrip outside of St Paul at the beginning of October. No return flight has been entered. Info on its way to you now."

He has no idea Garcia had been watching his screen as he worked and was already sending the information to Hotch.

"Good job, Dez. Let me get with my team and we'll let you know what happens."

"Great! Talk to you soon, Pen."

Garcia disconnects him and immediately calls Hotch. "Hotch! Did you get my text?"

"I did. We're already on the move. JJ will stay at the precinct to handle any media questions and in case you suddenly get an alert that a flight plan was filed. Considering the weather here, I doubt she is taking off today but she may be at the airfield waiting for any break in the clouds."

"Right. And now knowing another name she could be using, I'll start checking hotels to see where she may be staying if she's not bedding down at the airfield."

"Good idea. Get with JJ and split up the list."

"Will do. Good luck, sir, and be safe."

"As always, excellent job, Garcia."

Garcia smiles proudly. "Thank you, sir."

Garcia hangs up and calls JJ to get started on the next line of inquiry.

* * *

Hotch and Morgan stare at the plane in question. There is a tarp across the windshield, keeping the ice and snow off of it. It is tethered to ground weights. Morgan shakes his head.

"That's not a plane ready to go at a moments notice."

"You're right. Still, go and make sure no one and nothing is in it. Rossi, Smith and I will go inside and check to see if the pilot has been seen."

Morgan nods and motions for Reid to come with him. Both wear their vests and have their guns ready. Better safe than sorry. It takes them only a few minutes to clear the plane. They may their way to the hangar to hear the end of Hotch's conversation with the man inside.

"Nope, haven't seen him since he landed," the man says, looking at the photo of "Paul" Cutler.

"Has he called? Mentioned anything about leaving soon?"

"No. Nothing. Told me he'd be here all winter and rarely if ever fly anywhere."

"Did he ask you to perform any sort of maintenance on it?" Rossi asks.

"Nope. But he's been here the last few winters. If he goes out on a joy flight he gases up and does stuff himself. Only calls us to file his flight plan. Before he makes the trip back to Canada he does have us give it a going over. You know, check tires, engine, stuff like that."

"Okay." Hotch hands him a business card. "If he calls or comes by, call us immediately."

"Sure. Uh, he a smuggler or something?"

"Or something," Rossi answers as the agents and Detective Smith leave.

Outside the men stand in a circle, all extremely frustrated. "Where the hell is she?" Hotch asks.

Smith shakes his head. "I have no idea. Maybe she went back up to White Bear Lake?"

"Doubtful," Reid says. "We've taken his bodies, his place to hide them."

"Unless he had a secondary location," Morgan points out.

"We need to head back that way and continue to look into places with new freezers. There were 87 names on that wall Prentiss found," Hotch points out. "Some more bodies could be hidden away somewhere."

The team gets into their SUV's. Hotch calls JJ to tell her where they are going. She promises to keep them informed if anything happens while they are gone.

* * *

The guys had been on the road just 15 minutes when an officer runs into the conference room.

"Agent Jareau! The suspect is at the assisted living facility. She's got her mom held hostage."

JJ leaps up. "Shit! Drive me there!"

The man nods and JJ grabs her coat and follows him, dialing Hotch as she runs. "Hotch, she has her mother held hostage. I'm on my way there now."

"Son of a BITCH!" Hotch slaps the steering wheel. He puts his lights and sirens on and looks for the next place he can make a U-turn.

"As soon as I know what's going on I'll let you know."

"Got it." Hotch hangs up and tells Rossi what is going on. The older agent calls Reid to let those in the other SUV know where they are going and why.

Back in St Paul, it takes just 5 minutes for JJ to arrive on scene. The officer points out the incident commander and JJ moves to the man, flashing him her badge.

"Status?"

"We're evacuating everyone. I've got guys with guns trained on Cutler's door and outside her window. Shades are pulled so no view in. Witnesses say she has a handgun."

"Cameras?"

"None in the rooms. Privacy laws."

"Shit. Negotiator?"

"On his way. Should be here in half an hour or so."

JJ shakes her head. "Too long. We need to at least assess the suspect's state of mind. Let's go."

The man nods and follows JJ inside. Once they are at the end of the hallway, JJ nods to him to make contact.

"Pamela Cutler," he says into a bullhorn. "This is the St. Paul police. Please drop your weapon and come out with your hands up."

"No! I need to talk to my Mom. Just leave us the fuck alone!" is the reply.

JJ leans towards the man. "Ask her to let her mother speak to us. Tell her we just need to make sure Millie is okay."

He nods and lifts the bullhorn. "Can you let Millie tell us she's okay?"

After a second an older ladies voice calls out. "We're fine. Just…fine." JJ can tell she is crying and scared.

"Okay! Mom said she's fine. Go away now."

"We can't do that. We need to know what you want to end this."

In the room, Pamela Cutler paces in frustration. How can she get them to leave her alone? How? How? How? She just needs time. How? Then it hits her: the perfect way to stall for time. She stops and steps close enough to the door to yell out.

"I'll only talk to that FBI agent that was on TV. Get her here and I'll talk."

The officer looks at JJ who sighs. She reaches out for the bullhorn.

"Pamela, it's Agent Jennifer Jareau. You want to speak with me?"

"Shit!" Pamela hisses, a hand running through her hair in frustration and anger. She takes a deep breath. "Uh, yeah. Okay."

"Pamela, there is only one way to end this. Please put down your gun and come out. I promise no one will hurt you."

"BULLSHIT!" Pamela screams. "All my life people that were supposed to protect me did nothing but hurt me. NOTHING! Why would you be any different?"

JJ closes her eyes, knowing the truth could be the one thing that ends this peacefully. She opens her eyes.

"Because I probably understand better than most the struggles you have gone through."

"Oh, bull! I saw you on TV. Saw your pretty wedding ring. And either you're pudgy or you're pregnant."

"I am pregnant. With twins."

"So how the hell do you know what I've been through?"

"Pamela, I am carrying the next two children for my wife and me."

"Your…wife?"

"Pamela, what was done to you as a young woman was horrible. I can't even imagine the terror you must have felt or the pain you were in. I remember…when I came out to my parents. I was so scared they would disown me or send me away. But they didn't. I was lucky."

"Why didn't they send you away?"

"Uh, well, my sister had…died a few years before. I think they couldn't risk losing another child. But I also think attitudes were starting to change. Things you and others in your generation went through paved the way for those of us that came later. Your struggle was horrible but was a pivotal point in the path to acceptance that we are on today."

Pamela paces a moment. "What…what if one of your kids is gay?"

"I will love and support them no matter who they love. As will the rest of their family and our friends. My children will be loved no matter what. Your mother loved you, too, Pamela. She was just living in a time that didn't accept what it didn't understand. I have spoken to her current priest. She loves you and misses you. And she regrets what she did all those years ago."

Pamela is shaking. Could it be a lie? She turns and stares into her mother's eyes. "Is she right? Do you regret it?"

Millie nods, holding her daughter's gaze. "Yes. With every fiber in me. I was…ignorant and alone. The priest at the time convinced me I had to…to save you or we would both go to hell. Truth is, I have lived in hell since the last time I saw you. I loved you, Pamela. I was trying to help. It wasn't until you got out that I learned what they were doing to you there. I am so, so sorry," she finishes, tears of shame and regret rolling down her cheeks.

"Pamela? Are you still with me?" JJ calls out.

Pamela continues to stare at her mother. "Yeah, Jennifer, I'm here."

JJ is glad to hear her name used. It means she is reaching the woman. "Good. Can I ask why you got quiet?"

"Millie…uh, Mom was telling me how bad she feels about what happened. And why she regrets it. She said she was sorry."

"She is, Pamela. Very sorry. Give her a chance to make amends with you. Give yourself up and we can end this here and now. You can tell your story. You can show how the treatment you were put through poisoned your mind. You weren't sick when you went in, Pamela. But the damage done by the so-called therapy is what brought us here today. Give up and come out so you can tell your story to the world. Let everyone know the struggles you faced. You'll be an inspiration to so many LGBT community members."

Pamela runs her hand through her hair once more. Is the agent lying? She seemed smart on TV. She could be just playing a game. But she seemed trustworthy, too. What the hell to do?

* * *

The Bureau SUV's pull into the parking lot and the 4 agents and the detective hurry into the facility. They see JJ and a local officer standing near the hallway to Millie's room. Detective Smith looks at an officer standing there in the entry.

"What's going on?"

"The blonde chick is pretending to be a dyke to try to reach the bitch with the gun," the officer reports.

Smith steps up into the man's face. "Watch what you say, Officer, or I'll let Agent Morgan show you a few moves they only teach the FBI."

The officer looks beyond Smith to see the fury in Morgan's eyes. The man swallows nervously.

"Uh…uh…I mean…"

Hotch rolls his eyes. "Morgan, go outside and see what the containment on the room window is. See if a sniper could get a shot off if necessary."

Morgan nods and jogs outside. Hotch walks up beside JJ.

"Report, Jareau."

"Trying to get her out of there. I think I'm reaching her. I've promised nothing will happen to her if she gives up and that she'll be able to tell the story of what happened to her when she was struggling all those years ago. Even told her she was of an era that made it easier for me to come out to my parents."

"Working?"

"I don't know. She's gone silent since that exchange. I think she is talking some to Millie."

Just then Pamela calls out. "Jennifer? Can you come down here to talk more?"

JJ's free hand instinctively goes to her stomach. "I'm sorry but I can't. Once I'm pregnant I can't go into a hostage situation completely. I can't come closer. But if you come out, if you surrender, I can be the one take your statement at the police station."

Pamela considers that a moment. "And…and no one will try anything?"

"No. You have my word: one gay woman to another."

Pamela is staring at the gun in her hand. She is tired. Tired of running. Tired of wondering who will out her next. Tired of everything. She is just about to agree to JJ's demand when a gun shot shatters the window to her mother's room. She leaps to her mother and places the gun to her temple.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?"

JJ looks at Hotch in shock. "I…I don't know. I swear. Give me a second to figure it out!"

Hotch keys his mike. "Morgan! What the fuck?"

* * *

Morgan had made his way around the outside of the large building. As he approaches the room from the outside he sees two officers peeking in the window. He looks around, trying to see where a sniper could set up if needed. When he looks back he waves his hand frantically.

"NO! DON'T!"

One of the officers has placed his gun against the window…and fires. Morgan races towards the man and tackles him before he can fire again.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"I had a shot!"

"Through a window pane? You stupid shit she was being talked down!" Morgan grabs the man's gun. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

Morgan can hear Pamela yelling inside and a second later hears Hotch in his ear. He keys his mike.

"Fucking local decided to try to take a shot through the window. Idiot obviously doesn't realize it's an ill advised shot for a handgun ESPECIALLY when you put the barrel against the glass."

"Son of a bitch," Hotch mutters. "Get him out of there."

"Already ordered him around front and I took his gun."

"Good. Back away from the window. If she looks out I don't want anyone near it. JJ is trying to salvage the negotiations."

"Copy." Morgan grabs the other cop and they back away from the shattered window until they are three rooms away. From there they could react if Cutler tries to escape but they won't appear a threat if she looks out.

* * *

Hotch tells JJ what's happened. JJ lifts the bullhorn.

"Pamela, young cop made a stupid mistake. I swear, the FBI and senior detectives for the St. Paul police are now on scene and it won't happen again."

"It never ends, Jennifer. No one wants to listen. No one wants to help."

"_I'm_ listening, Pamela. I want to help."

Pamela takes a deep breath as a cold wind blows into the room. "Up there in Canada the air was so fresh. So clean. I think you'd have loved it up there, Mom," she tells her shaking mother.

"It…sounds nice."

"I had a pretty good life, Mom. I spent my life in the outdoors. I lived mostly off the land. No one judged me. No one. They just accepted that I was Paul Cutler. It was only when I came down here and had to pretend to be Pamela to get benefits and shit that things were bad. I'm not her. I'm Paul. I always was. Do you see that now? Do you understand?"

Millie turns and strokes her daughter's cheek. "I do, Pame- -Paul. I do now. I'm sorry I didn't when you were so young."

"Pamela? Are you still with me?" JJ calls out.

"Go on, Mom. Go out so you don't get hurt by accident. They'll have to cuff me and stuff." Millie gives her daughter…her son a hug and kiss. "Jennifer, my mom is coming out."

JJ breathes a sigh of relief. "That's good, Pamela. That's really, really good."

"HIS NAME IS PAUL!" Millie hollers with all her strength.

Paul smiles at his mother. Finally he is seen as who he really has been all his life; who he was always meant to be.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Paul."

Millie stands and walks out of the room. Rossi and a police officer meet her halfway down the hallway and escort her up to the safety of the lobby.

"Okay, Paul, your mother is safe now," JJ says. "Put your gun down and step into the hall with your hands up."

"Where did you grow up, Jennifer?"

"In a little town in Pennsylvania."

"Was it pretty?"

"Yes, it was. Though I didn't always appreciate the country life while I was growing up I miss it now."

"Ever been to Canada?"

"Only briefly. Never to where you were living."

"The air is so pure, so clean. Can't get that down here. Can't get that in jail." She sighs. "Tell my story, Jennifer. Don't let other kids get hurt the way I was."

"You can tell them, Paul. You can- -"

JJ's voice chokes off as another gunshot sounds. She stares in horror down the hallway as Hotch, Rossi and Smith race towards the door. She knows what they'll find. The bullhorn drops to her side as her arm goes limp. The three men skid to a halt outside the door. Rossi enters first followed by Hotch then Smith. JJ barely registers the yell of clear. Hotch steps back out into the hallway. It is as if it's in slow motion that JJ sees the sadness in his eyes as he shakes his head no.

JJ turns and walks out of the building, shoving the bullhorn into Reid's hands as she goes. She refuses to cry until she gets into the privacy of an SUV.


	17. Chapter 17

Emily finishes her report just as Sara and her friend Alfred come back into the cabin.

"All finished?"

"Yep. We'll be able to fly out tomorrow morning."

"Good. Hopefully the team will…speaking of the team…" Emily says as her phone rings. "Prentiss," she answers.

"Em?"

Emily sits up stiffly when she hears her wife's quavering voice. "Jennifer, what's wrong?"

"I thought I reached her. I thought…I thought she understood…"

"Jennifer, what's happened, honey. You're scaring me."

"Cutler is dead. Killed herself. Or rather himself. It's…fuck, Em…I thought he was listening to me."

Emily is confused by the switching pronouns and scared by the rambling of her wife. JJ isn't even talking now, just sobbing. A second later Reid's voice comes over the line.

"Emily?"

"Reid, what the fuck is going on?"

Reid sighs and tells Emily what had gone down at the assisted living facility. By the time he is done, Emily is crying for her wife.

"Oh, Jennifer…Spence, can she talk yet?"

Reid glances at her as he drives them towards the hotel. "Jayje? Can you talk yet?" JJ shakes her head. "Not yet, Emily. I'll stay with her. Promise."

"Thank you, Spence. Put me on speaker." Reid does. "Jennifer, I love you. You did everything you could. She just didn't want to live her life in a cell. Or he didn't. Or…shit I'm fumbling this pretty badly. Anyway, you did everything you could. When Cutler went to the facility it was probably with this endgame in mind the whole time. It was a goodbye to Millie and to the world. You couldn't have changed the suicide. But you may have stopped it from being a murder-suicide which was probably the original intention. I am proud of you, Jennifer. And when you're ready to talk I'll be here for you."

"Thanks, Em," JJ croaks out.

"We'll call you in a little while, Emily. Promise."

"Thanks, Reid. Thank you for taking care of her."

"No problem," he replies and hangs up. He reaches over and takes JJ's hand, trying to give her at least a little comfort on the trip to the hotel.

* * *

Morgan shrugs as he answers questions about the shooting situation he had witnessed. "I came around the corner and saw the officer trying to see in. I scanned the area to see if there was a vantage point for a sniper. I looked back and that's when I saw him stick his gun right up to the glass. I tried to call a warning but he fired."

"And the gun was right against the glass?"

Morgan nods. "Right up against. Probably find shards of glass in his firearm."

"Which you took from him?"

"Yes. And secured it in my own holster until I turned it over to you," he explains to the IAB officer.

"Very well. Thanks for your information, Agent Morgan."

Morgan nods and walks over to Hotch and Rossi. "How soon can we get the hell out of here?"

Hotch watches as Cutler's body is wheeled out in a body bag on a stretcher. He pulls his room key out of his pocket.

"Why don't you and Rossi head up to White Bear. Get everything from the hotel up there and get with Ties. Tell him about Emily's list and make sure Garcia knows to copy him on anything she finds on the names from that list."

Morgan takes the key card. "Don't have to ask me twice."

"Me either," Rossi agrees.

As they drive the men are silent. The case was over but the ending is so far from what they had wanted. Morgan finally speaks as they pull into the hotel parking lot.

"Is it just me or do you feel bad for Cutler, too?"

"Not just you, Derek," Rossi confirms. "It's just so hard to believe that people thought that kind of therapy could cure so many things. It's incredible she…make that _he_ wasn't subjected to a lobotomy."

"Yeah, that crossed my mind, too. Think Jayje will be okay?"

Rossi's mouth twists to the side as he thinks about that. "To this day I remember the first time a negotiation I was leading ended this way. It may not mean much to her now but everything I heard her say was spot on. She couldn't have changed a thing."

"I keep wondering if I had stopped that guy from firing; not given Cutler that breath of fresh air…would that have changed the ending, Rossi?"

"I doubt it, Derek. Cutler didn't want to be caged. He was saying goodbye. I venture a guess that the original intention was to kill Millie, too. JJ saved her life. We just have to make sure she recognizes half a win."

Morgan nod. "Hadn't considered that. We'll make sure she knows."

"Damn right we will. Now, let's get our shit and get back to St Paul. I want to be packed and ready to go first thing in the morning."

"I second that."

The men head into the hotel to check out of those rooms and go back to the other hotel.

* * *

Hotch knocks lightly on the door. He hears shuffling and sees the brief blockage of light in the peep hole. The security locks and chain unlatch and the door opens. JJ's eyes are red-rimmed and puffy. She gestures that he can come in but doesn't say anything. She sits down on the end of the bed as he takes the desk chair.

"JJ, you've had time to cry and think about what happened. Is there anything you want to ask me?"

JJ shrugs. "I keep going over what I said to her…him. Maybe if I had called him Paul from the start I'd have connected better."

"You didn't know for sure if he was living as a man because that was right for him or if he was doing it to hide his identity. When Millie told you to call him Paul you immediately started to do so. You showed him respect, you showed him compassion, you managed to connect with him and save Millie."

JJ frowns. "Millie? You really think he was going to kill her?"

"Yes, I do."

JJ bites her lip a moment. "Emily said the same thing."

He gives JJ a grin. "Of course she did. I've taught her well."

JJ huffs out a quick chuckle. "Right." She thinks a moment. "Will it stop hurting?"

"It will get…better. You will always feel the sting of this one because it was the first one where you connected so deeply with the suspect. I swear to you, JJ, there was nothing more you could have done."

"It was supposed to be a murder-suicide, right?"

"I believe so," Hotch assures her again. "Unless we find a manifesto or full confession somewhere we won't be able to confirm it but I don't think Cutler had any design on getting out alive. And he was going to take his mother with him."

JJ takes a deep breath. "Then I just need to focus on the wins for tonight. Millie is alive and had a moment of reconciliation with Paul before he died. It was probably the first moment of peace between the two of them since Pamela starting acting like Paul all those years ago."

Hotch nods. "Most likely." He stands. "Plane leaves at 8 tomorrow. You want to join us for dinner?"

"Uh, I think I'll pass. I want to call my parents and thank them for being so…so open when I came out to them. And then I need to call Emily. By now she's probably trying to figure out if she can hike back to Iqaluit."

Hotch grins. "I can see that. If you need anything, anything at all, just call me."

"I will. Thanks, Hotch."

JJ walks him to the door, locking it securely after he leaves. She goes to her phone and hits the speed dial for her parents.

"Jenny! How are you?" Sandy Jareau answers.

"I'm okay. Sort of. I just…wanted…needed…" JJ bursts into tears. "Thank you for loving me. Always. I love you all so much."

"Jennifer Prentiss, what the hell is wrong?" Sandy demands.

"Nothing. Just…a case thing," JJ assures her mother before launching into an explanation. When she finishes she is a little more in control of her emotions. "So, just…thank you for not…hating me or…trying to cure me…for just loving me."

Sandy wipes away her own tears. "I have always loved you, Jenny. Always been so proud of you. Maybe losing Amy gave us a different view but there is nothing you or your brother could have done to make us hate you or not see you for who you are."

JJ sighs. "Thank you for saying that. Hotch tells me this one will always be the one I remember because of the connection I made to Cutler. It will hurt for a while."

"Well, you have us and you have Emily to be there to remind you that you did a great job. It was just out of your hands in the end."

"Ugh…Emily…" JJ moans.

Sandy frowns. "Are you two fighting?"

JJ manages a chuckle. "No. For this case she had to go to Iqaluit in Nunavut, Canada. She had to go check out some dump sites and a cabin around Baffin Island. She needed to be back today to fly out tomorrow ahead of a bad storm. They didn't make it due to…mechanical issues."

"Mechanical issues?" Sandy presses, having heard the hesitation.

JJ sighs. "The plane wrecked. Hit an ice crevice and busted a wheel strut. The pictures were…damn they were bad, Mom. Somehow the pilot kept the plane from cart wheeling or overturning but it still looked bad."

"But Emily is okay?"

"She's fine. But from the looks of it, she'll be up there at least another week."

"At least a week?"

"Mom, it's a bad, bad weather area. She could be up there for weeks. I may be without her _and_ Henry at Christmas and it's tearing me up inside."

"Oh, Jenny. Well, here is what we are planning. Your father and I are using Gerald's plane to fly Henry to New Orleans. We are then renting a car and taking a slow trip back to Virginia and will be there in time for Christmas. We'll stop in Nashville to see the Country Music Hall of Fame. We'll even hit a few other places we've wanted to see. But that can all wait if you'd rather us come right back up to Virginia to see you. We can just get right back on Gerald's plane and fly back north."

JJ smiles, hugging a pillow close to her. "No, Mom, you all do that trip. It sounds like a lot of fun. I'll be okay. I am praying Emily will be home by then."

"So, does Elizabeth know Emily will probably be missing the gala next weekend?"

JJ sits up in bed. "Oh, SHIT! I completely forgot! Oh, crap! I don't have a dress! And I can't use an old one because of the baby bump. Shit, shit, double shit, fuck!"

"Jennifer Andrea Prentiss, watch your mouth!"

JJ rubs a hand down her face. "Sorry, Mom. But this is an important night for Elizabeth and Gerald. Crap, what do I do?"

"Call Emily or Elizabeth. Something tells me they have a plan in place just in case something like this happens."

"Right. Right. I'll talk to Em. Oh, damn. Well, this was one way to get me out of a pity party."

Sandy chuckles. "Glad I could help. But, honey, are you really okay?"

JJ sighs. "I will be. It just…hurts. And I wanted to make sure you know how much I love you and how much I appreciate all you and Dad did for me when you accepted me without question."

"We love you, honey. Always and forever you'll always be our little girl."

"I know. Love you, Mom."

"Goodnight, Jenny."

"Goodnight."

JJ hangs up the phone. She takes a cleansing breath and calls Emily's satellite phone. It is answered immediately as if Emily had been waiting eagerly for the call. Which, of course, she had been.

"Jen!"

"Hi. I'm okay. Well, not completely okay but better."

Emily sighs in relief. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Of course I'm pissed at you now."

There is an extended pause. "What the hell did I do?"

JJ smiles at the confusion in her wife's voice. "I am thinking you got stranded up there on purpose so you don't have to go to your parent's gala next Saturday."

Emily starts to chuckle. "Oh, yeah, you're feeling better."

JJ chuckles. "Yeah, I am. I've talked with you, Reid and Hotch on the business side. And just talked to my mom for the personal side. Figured if I finished up with you on the personal side I might actually get some sleep tonight."

"Good. You and the nesters both need the sleep."

"Yep, we do." JJ thinks about things a moment. "Emily…what are…I mean…will you…"

Emily pinches the bridge of her nose. "I have no idea when I'll get home, Jen. This storm coming will be hitting just as we land tomorrow. And we'll be flying straight back, no stops. It's a bad one. The expectation is 3 days of snow and ice before it abates."

"Son of a bitch."

"Yeah. I will call home everyday. I'll even try to Skype if I can get a good signal. And look at the bright side."

"There's a bright side?"

"It will give me more time to track down Santa and make sure he knows where Henry will be for Christmas."

JJ grins. "Yeah, maybe that's a bright side."

"I've already got a lead on him. I had mentioned to Scott about that search and he knows someone that can maybe stand in for the big man for me."

"That will be so great, Em. Henry will be so happy."

"I know," Emily says, smiling. "It will make me pretty happy, too."

JJ tries to stifle a yawn but Emily hears it. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's been a crazy case with a stressful ending. Time for you to get some sleep. When I get back to the hotel tomorrow I'll call you."

"Promise?"

"You know it, baby."

"Be safe tomorrow."

"We will be. You all be safe, too. Leave late if you have to."

"We will. If we don't Reid will starting spouting statistics that will freak us all out. Again."

Emily laughs. "Good point. Give the nesters a pat on the head for me?"

"Definitely. I love you, Emily Prentiss."

"And I love you, Jennifer Prentiss. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Count on it. Goodnight, baby."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

Emily hangs up the phone and tucks it into her duffel bag. She looks towards the fireplace and sees Sara and Alfred are already asleep in their sleeping bags. Emily stands and walks over to one of the windows. She stares out at the Aurora Borealis dancing across the sky. It is even brighter tonight than it had been due to the advancing moisture in the air from the approaching storm.

As beautiful as it is, Emily says a quick prayer to God that she can get out of here sooner than it's looking like she will. Heck, she'd even gladly attend her parent's gala if it meant it gets her home. Satisfied she has done all she can to get home, she goes over to her sleeping bag. Before crawling in she adds one more log to the fire.

Crawling into her sleeping bag, she lets her mind drift to her children and starts to imagine two little ones yet to be born. With a smile on her face, she drifts off to sleep in the Nunavut wilderness.

* * *

**A/N: And thus ends #62. So will Emily make it home for Christmas? Will JJ have to go stag to the Prentiss gala? Will Santa find Henry on Christmas Eve? Will Rocky learn a bad word from a stressed out JJ? And just what do Reid and Rossi have in store for Hotch and Morgan after their boneheaded move? Tune in to #63 for these answers and more! See y'all soon!**

**-AR**


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